The sweet absurdity of the visa regime

The sweet absurdity of the visa regime
This article has been written for Albanian Free Press newspaper and www.afp.al

By Frrok Çupi

The headlines and the media are now full of threats and news that the visa regime for the EU member countries will be introduced again for Albanians. The news immediately started to travel as a sweet absurdity, without knowing what it was doing. The news that “Albanians will travel by visa once again” was enough to cause a storm. In this hot weather, it was hard to find such a “useful” news story to fill the political void.

Meanwhile, this news would really be a sad one if it were true.

But this is the problem… Dutch police have requested for Albanian nationals to be refused entry in the “state of tulips”, based on evidence that many drug traffickers originated from Albania. Immediately after police made this request, representatives from parliament have declared that they could demand from the Schengen area countries to block free movement for Albanian people.

This news story has not yet become complete in order to become real news and be used politically. The news would be complete once the Dutch parliament would decide to close the border of its country (even for Albanians alone) and the final step would consist of the decision of the European Parliament to close the borders of the member countries (even for Albanians alone).

Then we would have a news story, a topic and a political argument.

But chances are that this moment may never come. Neither for Albanians, nor for others around us, there will be no closed borders with the EU member countries. Therefore, the political class using a sweet absurd news story during this summer season, when there’s nothing else.

If the political class were truly a political class, then it would not allow itself political ignorance.

Let us go back to Holland, where the blocking of free movement for Albanians was initiated:

1.

If the Parliament of Holland would take this decision, then this would not be accepted by the European Parliament, because the EU policy is determined to keep the borders open.

Even if it comes to the European Parliament to decide, Holland itself cannot take a decision to close borders. The Dutch parliament and government is in harmony with the EU’s policy to keep the borders open. The recent parliamentary elections on 15 March of this year, gave a victory to the current PM, Mark Rutte, a determined European who wants to preserve the current heritage of the EU. He won 33 seats in a 150 seat parliament and along with the Labor Party (20 seats) and other parties, he’s governing Holland in line with the EU’s policies. Mr. Rutte’s victory was strongly applauded by those EU representatives who follow the policy of open borders, such as Juncker or Angela Merkel.

Had Mr. Rutte’s opponent won, then things would be different. Opposition representative, Geert Wilders, who, according to opinion polls, was very close to victory several times during the campaign, had promised to remove from the country all undocumented emigrants and to close borders to massive emigration… In the end, he made a serious mistake when he declared that he would remove “all Muslims” from the country.

But, Mr. Wilders did not win and most likely, because of these reasons. Now, Holland has a government and parliament that follow the policies of the liberal leaders of the EU to keep borders open.

Our politicians, who are using the absurdity of Holland’s decision to remove visas, must give up their title as “politicians”, as they are political ignorant.

2.

Secondly, let us go back to the EU, where big decisions, such as ousting Albanians from the free visa regime, are taken. If this impossible thing were to take place, then the EU, which is currently going through its own crisis, would be in a terrible crisis among its members, because the EU cannot take selective decisions, for instance “just for Albanians” or “Asians” and so on. If this were to happen, then a big question mark would be put on the European civilization.

If the EU decides to close borders, borders which it opened a few years ago, then the “Pandora box” could open and reach as far as the borders of France and Germany. However, this will not happen, even due to the current EU policies. This institution, although it is “ill”, is standing on its feet thanks to the policy of open borders. This differentiates it with Brexit and Trump’s doctrine against massive emigration. Two or three states such as Hungary and Poland, which are in line with Brexit and Trump, cannot play a role for the time being in the EU’s decisions.

Politicians who use the argument of the visa regime for political credit, must give up their title as “politicians”.

3.

Thirdly, what have they understood from the world war!?

Since 23 June 2016, when Brexit happened and 8 November 2016 when Trump was elected, the world is anxiously watching the “match” between traditional liberal elites who want a world without borders and conservatives, who demand sovereignty, controlled borders and governments which are not demagogic. So far, the EU has been favoring the former, the bureaucratic liberals of the world, who want open borders.

So, is it possible for the EU to overthrow its own pillars, on which it is hanging on so tight, just because of the police of Amsterdam or hundreds or so Albanians who are distributing drugs in Holland?

I think that politicians who have not learned this must give up their title.

Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Albanian Free Press’ editorial policy

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