BERLIN CONFERENCE ON MIGRATION: PUSHING FORWARD THE BOUNDARIES OF "FORTRESS EUROPE"
In October 91, Interior and Justice ministers of 20 European countries met in Berlin. The only issue on the agenda of this meeting initiated by the German Interior Minister Schaueble was "the illegal entries from Eastern Europe". The main aim of the conference: to bring the Eastern and South Eastern European countries outside the walls of the "fortress" to participate in its construction.
Among the most spectacular proposal originated from the meeting is the creation of special European police units to combat illegal immigration into Western European countries on the territory of the Eastern European "backyard" states. In short, an extraterritorially operating police force. The Baltic states, Belorussia and the Ukraine participated at the meeting, while Russia abstained.
Minister Schäuble declared at the end of the conference that all participating states had understood that "uncontrolled migration" meant a threat for the internal stability of each European state. In view of the composition of the round-table (interior and Justice ministers) it is not surprising that the conference proved creative imagination in a single domain only: How to enforce a more efficient police repression.
The participating states agreed on a common tactical concept for combatting smuggling rings, among other things by intensifying information exchange through the creation of the conditions for the computerized exchange of personal data. Some Eastern European countries were "encouraged" to change their legislation, as smuggling of migrants by international gangs is not yet punishable there.
The ministers also intend to unifie the modalities of bordercontrols and to approach visapolicies. Moreover they press for the conclusion of bilateral agreements for the readmittance of persons denied residence in a (Western) European country by the (Eastern) European country of transit or origin.
Eastern European countries like e.g. Poland and Romania should benefit from economical, technical and... manpower aid by Western countries in their task to protect the eastern borders of Western Europe from undesired immigrants. Austria's Interior Minister L"schnak proposed the creation of a European police unit that would operate on the territory of Eastern European buffer states. (German police in "European" uniforms patrolling Hungary's or Poland's borders - a nightmarish vision soon to become true?).
At the occasion of the meeting an agreement concluded in Mars 91 between Poland and the Schengen states was cited as a positive example for future collaboration. The treaty engages Poland to take back all persons which have illegally entered a Schengen country from its own territory.
One can easily imagine that such forms of cooperation by poor Eastern and South Eastern European countries can not have resulted from friendly words of their Western counterparts alone. Transeuropean police collaboration with regard to migrants and refugees will more and more become a matter of heavy bargaining in the spirit of: We will grant you economical aid if you prevent your migrants from crossing our borders (carot) or: If you don't let us help you prevent migrants from transiting your country, we will impose economical sanctions (baton).
sources: "Die Tageszeitung" (Germany), 1.11.91, "Neue Zürcher Zeitung", 2.11.91