AEGEE has been one of the first Pan-European associations that supported Youth Mobility in order to empower students and young people in Europe to take an active role in society. ”After the attacks in Paris, Europe increased the level of controls, mostly on the borders,” says Afredo Sellitti, Policy Officer on Youth Mobility, which might cause some problems with travelling. However, work and residence permits were not affected”.
One of the main characteristics of AEGEE people is that they travel a lot; sometimes they just hit the road without planning. Now they will have to plan their trips better as the additional vigilance of the European governments might hide unexpected obstacles.
Walking the streets of Paris in the evening, you could feel the atmosphere of harmony and love, well described in the works of Hemingway or captured in romantic Hollywood movies. Now, some people might even have problems with travelling to Paris and if they arrive, they will be disappointed by the ‘Geist’ of terrorism.
According to Alfredo, the additional border controls should not have significant impact on AEGEE and its projects unless the Schengen Area gets suspended, which will bring back the passport and visa procedures. ”However, this is a remote scenario and highly unlikely to happen,” says Alfredo.
Most of the countries adopted tighter security measures and Slovakia was no exception. According to Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is known in Europe for refusing migration quota, uncontrolled migration is an unprecedented risk for the country. Indeed, in most cases, they are just pro-form that disturbs the daily routine of foreigners living in Slovakia. A young man from Iran interviewed by a newspaper said he was checked three times a day. People coming from Ukraine reported long visa procedures with plenty of paper work.
“The security of Slovakia’s citizens must be a top priority before any other rights”, said the prime minister. However, usually when some rights are given to one group of people, the rights of another people might be in danger. Many people would like to use the freedom to travel in order to gain new experience and skills. However, sometimes they find out at the station that trains are not in service due to security threats, which happened a few months ago in Budapest.
Do not say the word ‘bomb’ at the airport
Some measures can put people into stressful situations. Press release from Bratislava airport advised the passengers not to say words like “bomb” aloud around the terminal building as it might raise suspicion, even emergency. Lucia from AEGEE-Bratislava was flying from Bratislava to Brussels on the 15th of November and almost missed her flight because the traditional fast-track security check was replaced by tight control. Also, trains from Germany to Belgium and France had several hours of delays, she confirmed, which caused delays in her work schedule.
The security was tightened after the attacks in Paris on Friday, 13th of November that killed 130 people. “Residents in Paris were shocked, but after about three days, everything got back to normal”, says Daria from AEGEE-Kyïv, who left Paris shortly before the attacks. Her friends had a trip to Paris planned one week after the attacks and they went regardless of the warnings. It proves that AEGEEans are more daring and tolerant than ordinary people. Lucia said that there is no point in worrying: “Either the security forces will act in time or we should at least hope that it won’t hit me or my relatives”.
Maybe it is a little bit careless approach, but the fact is that the only terrorist convicted in Slovakia was a man who exploded a bomb in front of a McDonalds in Košice, eastern Slovakia, a few years ago. On the other hand, we should look further than our fence. In other countries, the situation is a little bit different. Places like Paris and Brussels are more ‘in the limelight’. Therefore, we all should contribute to the collective security.
Catharsis of Europe
The situation in Europe is different from ten years ago. It is becoming a continent of ideologies and people who seek opportunities to encourage the public in order to reach their goals. It is the issue of terrorist propaganda spreading over the internet that brings danger, not migration.
According to French Ministry of Immigration (2010), the five countries, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany cater for 80% of migration flow to Europe and recently Germany welcomed the millionth migrant this year. The main reasons behind migration are economic, family reunion and study. This trend is expected to continue, which can have negative impact on Europe’s economy and culture. Therefore, some governments agreed on cuts.
”According to the recent happenings, people of Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt might face the biggest problems with travelling to Europe as these countries lie close to the southern European borders,” said Alfredo.
Under the new rules that were adopted in response to the attacks in Paris, courts will be able to order detention of a terrorist suspect and prolong the detention period. However, the terrorist tactics do not focus on attacking individuals but spreading fear and the feeling of hopelessness in the whole society. Therefore, the situation calls for redefinition of security in Europe, which might affect our comfort, especially with travelling and work permits.
A group of international students in Bratislava said that they did not experience any difficulties when getting to Slovakia. However, prior to arrival, they had to go through visa application process, and the security check at the airport was a bit longer. Little delay is a cheap price if we look at what is at stake. Nevertheless, we should respect the rules and hope that the disturbing responsibility of customs procedures and identity checks will come to an end.
Written by Erik Redli, AEGEE-Bratislava