EU BOSS SPARKS BORDER OUTRAGE
Checkpoints are worst invention ever says Juncker
CALLS to drop border controls in Europe sparked fury yesterday.
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, claimed they were “the worst invention ever”. Ukip spokesman Peter Whittle said that his comments were “beyond parody”.
This was another reason
“why we must exit the EU as quickly as possible, otherwise our security could be left exposed by Juncker’s anti-borders policy.
“Safe and secure borders help to define a nation, you only have to look at Germany to see what happens when you when you effectively discard them.
“Mr Juncker is also well behind the curve to think he, or his colleagues amongst the European political elite, can stop popular democracy from flourishing across Europe following the historic Brexit vote.
“I’m happy to predict that Britain will not be the only country to leave the EU and become a free and sovereign nation again,” added Ukip’s national culture spokesman.
Mr Juncker’s comments at the European Forum Alpbach in Austria’s Tyrol were taken as a sign that he intends to block attempts to tighten border checks to deal with the migrant crisis overwhelming Europe.
It is also a challenge to France and Belgium who have pushed for an end to the Schengen free-movement zone across the EU to stop terrorists crossing the Continent without checks after Europe was rocked by a series of atrocities.
The intervention from Mr Juncker came as Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande and Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi met on the Italian island of Ventotene where the concept of the EU was first dreamt up, to discuss the impact of Brexit.
The latest views of Mr Juncker, who also said the EU needs to “block popular nationalism” in response to Brexit, were immediately disagreed with by Theresa May.
Downing Street insisted that Mr Juncker’s views on borders were “not something that the Prime Minister would agree with.”
Her spokeswoman added: “Having more control of our borders is important and that’s an issue we need to address.”
The European Forum Alpbach website said Mr Juncker told the audience: “Borders are the worst invention ever made by politicians”, and said solidarity must be given to refugees and their children.
Mr Juncker also said Brexit was not a pretty moment, and one which the EU must overcome. He also described Brexit as an “unheard-of political crisis” for the EU but told member states that the only way of overcoming the challenge would be to remain as one.
He said: “In the concentration of globalisation and European problems, we must not lose our way.”
His remark comes as nations across Europe have looked to tighten their borders in response to the growing migrant crisis. It follows sexual assaults and rapes in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden by migrants from who flooded in following Mrs Merkel’s policy to invite them to her country.
Last month a survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that increasingly in eight of the 10 EU member states surveyed, more than half of people feared rising terrorism.
Mrs Merkel, Mr Hollande and Mr Renzi, are plotting further integration with common defence, foreign affairs, security and closer finances and tax systems despite a huge rise in support to follow Brexit.