SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 08, 2013
Germany and a handful of EU countries have blocked Bulgaria and Romania from joining the Schengen Area of border-free travel. Editorialists at the Germany's left-leaning dailies are calling the move an election-year ploy on the part of conservatives in Berlin. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 04, 2013
Germany remains opposed to allowing Romania and Bulgaria membership in Europe's Schengen Area of border-free travel. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told SPIEGEL that more progress must be made in the fight against corruption. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- October 25, 2012
With a massive surge in asylum applications from people of the Roma minority from Serbia and Macedonia, Germany's interior minister is calling for new rules to expedite processing these cases. Although many come to the EU for better economic opportunities, they also face racial discrimination at home, advocacy groups say. more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- August 02, 2012
Russia and Poland moved last week to open the border between Kaliningrad and neighboring Polish communities for visa-free travel. The move creates new freedom for people living in the exclave, which is surrounded by EU countries and is located some 350 kilomoters from Russia proper. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- July 18, 2012
The rigmarole of entering foreign countries can often be annoying. But for Cuban architect Luis Cespedes, it was nightmare. He spent two months at sea sailing between Russia and Finland after he was denied entry to both countries. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- July 09, 2012
Romania's parliament voted to suspend President Traian Basescu on Friday pending an impeachment referendum later this month. But observers say the country's new prime minister is seriously overstepping his bounds. The rule of law is in grave danger, say German commentators. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 23, 2012
In an interview with SPIEGEL, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn attacks a Franco-German plan to allow Schengen-zone countries to temporarily re-introduce border controls. The move is a populist ploy by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to secure his re-election, says Asselborn. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 20, 2012
Germany and France's joint proposal to allow Schengen-zone countries to temporarily reintroduce border controls as a means of last resort might sound harmless. But doing so would damage one of the strongest symbols of European unity and perhaps even contribute to the EU's demise. A Commentary by Carsten Volkery more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 20, 2012
Germany and France want to weaken Europe's border-free travel agreement, according to a Friday newspaper report. Berlin and Paris would like to be able to temporarily reintroduce border controls due to concerns about illegal immigration. The move is not, a Berlin official assures, to be seen as re-election campaign help for Sarkozy. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- January 03, 2012
The Polish ambassador to Germany suggested this week that German officials weren't doing enough to fight rampant cross-border vehicle theft. It is a claim that some experts in Germany agree with. But officials on the front line urge patience, saying they are making progress. By Kristen Allen more...
