Closing Borders Between European States Undermines Concept of EU – NGO

The PRO ASYL director urged Germany to take the leadership and help the EU cope with the refugee crisis.

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Yulia Shamporova — Closing the borders between EU member states as an answer to the ongoing pan-European refugee crisis puts the entire concept behind the European Union at risk, the director of European affairs for the PRO ASYL human rights organization told Sputnik.

In recent weeks, several EU states, notably Germany, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia have reinforced their border controls in a bid to stem the flow of undocumented migrants, sparkling speculation that the European Union's borderless Schengen area might collapse.

"Today the whole concept of the Project European Union is at stake," Karl Kopp said.

He added that the introduction of border controls between Schengen countries was a fatal mistake, that seriously threatens the free movement for Europeans.

Kopp called on the German authorities to "show moral leadership to revitalize European values and to cope with the refugee crisis in a dignified and solidarity-based approach."

Over half a million refugees from North Africa and the Middle East have arrived in the European Union this year, fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries, according to the European Commission.

On Tuesday, a YouGov poll revealed that four in five German citizens have a favorable view of the reintroduction of certain border controls.