The Permanent Crisis of the Schengen Area (legrandcontinent.eu)

• Internal borders are being re-established due to security and political tensions.
• Schengen's evolution from economic mobility to universal, yet exclusionary, citizen movement.
• Legal precedent (Cissé) establishes that rights like assembly remain even for undocumented individuals.

"The Schengen Agreement, once a cornerstone of European liberal internationalism, is facing a persistent crisis characterized by the return of national border controls. This erosion is driven by security threats, migration pressures, and a resurgence of illiberalism. The analysis frames this through two historical legal milestones: Gravier, which tethered movement to economic participation, and Cissé, which challenged the exclusion of non-citizens. These cases underscore the tension between Schengen as a territorial embodiment of a 'Europe of citizens' and the reality of a fortress Europe increasingly defined by exclusionary sovereign practices."