Luxembourg Rejects Using Schengen as Political Pressure Tool Amid Migration Crisis

Luxembourg’s Interior Minister Leon Gloden has stated that the Schengen area should not be used as a tool for political pressure in dealing with the migration crisis. “I cannot accept that every time there is a migration-related incident, Schengen is held hostage,” Gloden told Euractiv, commenting on the debate that arose after events in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. He argued that prolonged checks at internal borders can erode public confidence in European integration. “If you are stuck in traffic for three or four hours due to border controls, you will lose faith in Europe and Schengen,” he said.

Following the migrant crisis in Ceuta, several EU member states proposed pressuring Spain. Italy introduced checks on arrivals from Spain, while Germany extended controls at its internal borders, including with Luxembourg. Gloden rejected the notion that reinstating internal border checks is an effective way to manage the political rise of right-wing parties. “Only making policies to counter right-wing extremism is not the right approach if those policies disrupt citizens’ daily lives,” he noted.

According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, around 72,000 people entered the enclave of Ceuta, with most subsequently returning to Morocco, though several dozen were reported dead. In response, 22 EU countries, led by Denmark and Italy, sent a letter expressing readiness to reinstate internal border checks. Luxembourg was among the five member states that refused to sign the document. Critics argue that since the migrants remain confined to the enclave and are not granted access to mainland Spain or the wider Schengen zone, the reintroduction of internal border controls is unnecessary.