Part of the fence Hungary is building on its border with Serbia. Demotix/Maciej Krawczyk. All rights reserved.More than 25 years ago a Hungarian fence made history. Back then, the gradual dismantling of physical border measures enabled thousands of East Germans to escape the German Democratic Republic (GDR) via Hungary. This historical move contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall and marked the start of a peaceful revolution that ended the German division. Today, the fence is being put back up: this time to shield the entire 175 kilometre long Serbian border from a dramatic increase of migration from Syria and Afghanistan.
To those of us born in the GDR, the news might bring back unpleasant memories of Europe’s divided past. But also someone who didn’t experience the limitations of physical borders first hand might perceive it as a significant step back in history. The new fence in Hungary provokes the question whether Europe hasn’t learned from past mistakes and symbolises exactly what’s going wrong with EU migration policies.
Indeed, Hungary isn’t the first European country setting up a fence in order to protect itself from an unwanted influx of migration. In fact, European frontiers have been increasingly fortified across the board over the last few years: the Spanish enclaves Melilla and Ceuta are surrounded by razor-wire fences, Bulgaria plans to fence its borders with Turkey, and Britain announced to recycle their 2012 Olympic wires to keep migrants away from the Channel Tunnel. Where there are no physical barriers yet, countries tighten their border management and asylum criteria, as recently announced by Denmark, Poland and Austria. And Italy’s Matteo Renzi even polemically suggested sending refugee boats back onto the Mediterranean Sea.
