Is #Greece Facing #Schengen Suspension After Border Security Failures

Macedonian Border Security build fence on Greek border.

Greece is the bad boy in EU politics again. 

Looks like #Greece is heading for yet another unprecedented “first” within the EU. This time it is its suspension from the open borders policy under the Schengen Agreement. 

According to EU officials the Greeks have failed to control their external borders in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis.

The suspension could happen within days. This will of course affect Christmas travel.  Travel to and from the UK and Ireland is unaffected by all this though as the two countries control their own border policy being as they are outside of the Schengen area.

Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been fighting EU officials over offered help with speedier refugee registration and bringing in 400 staff of the EU Frontex external border agency as a helping hand gesture. 

Tsipras is having none of it. But his obstinance is causing EU officials to lose patience and will likely impose their will. Again ordinary Greeks will lose out in their travels. It is all so silly really.

Greece can behave as though it has all the ace cards to play when in reality it is only holding the joker in the pack. Still Syriza is Syriza, the governing party. Its principles are communist or far to the left of centre a socialist based ideology can be. Mainstream EU politicians absolutely hate that status. Europe has after all been trying to rid the continent of Communist politics since the end of WW2. Any resurgence is handled with disdain by politicians in Brussels from Europe’s core countries except maybe the French and Italians which have left leaning sympathies and maybe Britain’s contentious Opposition leader, Corbyn.

A good status update on the possible suspension of Greece from Schengen is the Financial Times coverage .