Schengen expansion and the fear of neighbours

The Czechs are closely following reports according to which Germans living on Germany's border with Poland and the Czech Republic are concerned about the expansion of the Schengen area. Josef Šlerka comments: "We've been living with Germans for centuries, sometimes on our territory and sometimes on theirs, and now all together within the EU. In a couple of days the border controls will disappear, and once the euro has been introduced here we will hardly remember the border. Sixty years have passed since the last war, yet some people on both sides can't hide their fear of the 'others'. ... Mainly it's the older generation who can remember the two countries' dark common past. They are cautious and fear any kind of change. The younger generation, which has had different experiences, is therefore all the more a source of hope. For them, despite their different languages Europe's countries are much closer to each other than the disappearing borders would seem to indicate."

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