Juncker expressed regret that many seem to have forgotten what Schengen is meant to represent. He noted that ’10 out of 27 EU member states are currently carrying out border checks within the Schengen Area’, calling this a regrettable development.
He appeared on Friday evening as part of a public conference called From Schuman to Polycrisis – A Union in Transition Seen from Different Perspectives. Juncker joined Driessen, author of ‘Griff nach den Sternen’, for a wide-ranging discussion on European affairs.
Driessen explained that he wrote the book as a way to contribute something positive to Europe following Brexit. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he finally found time to conduct research, and at the event in Neumünster, he read selected passages from the book.
Some of the excerpts, although referring to 2020 and the pandemic, remain strikingly relevant today. One such passage reads: “Borders are once again being monitored or even closed entirely. The old distrust of the outside world, of foreigners from beyond the border, has returned, especially in Germany.”
Despite these challenges, Juncker insisted that Schengen is still alive – though, as he pointed out, many Europeans would have hoped for a healthier state of the agreement on its 40th anniversary.
Juncker remarked: “We’re celebrating 40 years of the Schengen Agreement, and yet it’s entirely possible that federal police officers, heavily armed, will be stationed right on the Schengen bridge performing unnecessary duties.”
The evening’s discussion extended far beyond the topic of Schengen. Juncker and Driessen touched on European defence, the influence of Presidents Putin and Trump, the Franco-German partnership, and what message Juncker would give to young people today.
His advice: reflect on the past, don’t despair about the future, and take an active role in shaping the present. He emphasised that complaining and criticising is fine, but one also has to take initiative to improve things. “We’re not born into the world for it to stay as it is”, he said.
Juncker also expressed concern over the declining awareness of the Second World War and how it came about. In his view, this lack of historical understanding is contributing to the rise of the far right across Europe. He also criticised centrist parties for echoing far-right rhetoric too closely.
This, he stressed, is a mistake: rather than mimicking extremists, one should firmly oppose them.
