Germany backs Sarkozy's bid to shut Schengen

Historically countries like, Britain, France and Canada, to name but a few, have opened their borders to refugees and specific immigration targets for specific qualification.

During times of prosperity, this sometimes works, but not always. Their are countries whose major export is people, particularly during bad economic times. Why should countries who have provided for their own to have access to medical care, housing and various types of financial assistance, have to assume the responsibility for those who have in no way contributed to the system, at the expense of those who have. When unemployment levels are extremely high within, adding to the national burden by absorbing those from without makes absolutely no sense.

Added to this, when from a country that is religiously and culturally different, why is it expected that the adoptive nation needs to adapt to the immigrant, rather than the immigrant adapting their adoptive country.

Human Rights organisations have a roll to play in the global context the Rights of the Individual, but the provision of those rights should be within the confines of their country of birth. There are countries that would not provide me with Christian Schools nor a church in which to pray, but entering my country they demand this for themselves and use our courts and Human Rights organizations to acquire it.

When are states going to acquire the backbone to stand up and say "No More"?

I make no apology , I have opposed Schengen from its beginning . I have travelled widely in Europe over many years and apart from speeding the passage of traffic at frontiers or reduction of frontier control personel I have not seen any advantage of free passage of all and sundry within the confines of Europe . Every country today has an excess of immigrants from outside Europe that do not integrate easily , cannot find employment and are a burden on society . Further we have become open to cultures and religions determined to overide host customs and christian religion . European people are no longer permitted to live among solely other European people . Far from creating world peace multiculturism creates social conflict and unrest .

I'll reserve any comments on the article for now. One correction , though :

the Greek-Turkish border is not only 130 kilometres long, it is several thousands of kilometres long.130 km is merely the land border; the rest is sea border which is literally impossible to control...

Frontex forces have been working closely with Greek coast guard forces in the past two years and have first-hand experience of how difficult it is to tackle the matter. There is no mention in the article of -mostly Turkish-traffickers and organised trafficking networks, who go by unpunished in Turkey for exploiting human souls and misery for some money.

Frontex officials submitted a report three weeks ago, highlighting the fact that Greece is receiving the largest numbers of illegal immigrants than any other EU country (http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/04/02/frontex-reports-57000-illegal-immigrants-crossed-the-greek-borders-in-2011/); in a country particularly hit by recession imagine how this universal problem is blown to greater proportions