does not remove the confusion.
John doubles down on his erroneous representation of the facts:
John three days ago wrote: In another blow to the European Union's prized open-border
Schengen Agreement, Hungary closed the border with Croatia on
Friday at midnight.
The statement "Closing ANY Internal European border is a blow to the Schengen Agreement" implies that Schengen Agreement applies to all Internal European borders" it does NOT, Repeat NOT, apply to all Internal Borders between all European Countries, it only applies to borders between two countries that are both in the Schengen Area. The Schengen Treaty is a public record - this is not a matter reasonable people would argue about.John one days ago wrote: Closing ANY internal European border is a blow to the Schengen
Agreement, because it throws the entire open-border concept into
doubt, and raises questions about the sustainability of the Schengen
Agreement itself.
The countries included in the Schengen Treaty AREA are best understood with this BBC map: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpspro ... es_624.png
There is NO, repeat NO,European ( All European Countries ) wide open borders treaty, agreement or law.
There is NO, repeat NO,European Union wide open borders treaty, agreement, or law.
The Schengen Treaty ( or the Written Contractual Agreement between sovereign nations signed by the nations it covers ) only creates, "so-called" open borders, between two countries that are both in the "Schengen Area", Croatia is not, repeat not, in the "Schengen Area", and thus the "so-called" open borders" do not, repeat not, apply to the border between Hungary and Croatia.
The countries included in the Schengen Treaty AREA are best understood with this BBC map: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpspro ... es_624.png
Hungary did not, repeat NOT, close it's border to Internationale travel that is allowed by international law, or by any treaty that Hungary belongs to. Hungary did put up fences that prevented entry into it's country except at recognized international border crossing points, that Hungary like virtually every other nation in the world has has the right to do. Some people would argue that the "Schengen Treaty" would prevent Hungry from doing this if the border applied to two countries that were both in the "Schengen Area", however in this case, Croatia is not, so the Schengen Area and thus the so called "open border" provisions of the Schengen Treaty, even if you accepted what "some people say", do NOT apply to the Croatia-Hungary border.
Hungary did not close it's border between Croatia and Hungary to legal international traffic, Hungary only implemented the standard international checks countries are permitted to implement by international law and by all all treaties Hungary belongs to ( including the Schengen treaty which only applies to borders between two countries that are both in the Schengen Area - and in this case Croatia is not in the Schengen Area ).
The countries of Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania ( all European Countries ) are all NOT, repeat NOT, in the Schengen Area. Hungary shares a border with three of those non-Schengen Area countries ( Romania, Serbia and Croatia). The war refugees and economic migrants, who are taking the Balkans route into Central, Northern, or Western Europe are all passing through one, or more, of these non-Schengen Area countries before they attempt to enter Hungary. This is true even if they come through Greece ( which is a Schengen Area country ) before exiting the Schengen Area by entering one of the non-Schengen area countries before attempting to re-enter the Schengen Area at the Hungarian border.
The countries included in the Schengen Treaty AREA are best understood with this BBC map: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpspro ... es_624.png