ConFine [EN]

Forty years after the signing of the Schengen Agreement, the obstacles overcome to abolish internal borders have not vanished. In fact, during the most difficult times for Europe and its people, it has often become a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. However, the challenges facing the Schengen Agreement today are not only internal. They often come from outside its borders, brought by those trying to enter its zone, making us realize the privilege of being born in Europe.

June 14, 1985 was a Friday. For the small village of Schengen it was just like any other day. Hardly anyone knew that a historic agreement was about to be signed there. Following a long journey that was neither simple nor straightforward, an agreement was reached in Schengen that would completely change the lives of hundreds of millions of Europeans. Schengen has remained a village, but today it is largely dedicated to keeping the memory of that defining moment in European history alive. This starts with the museum, situated right on the banks of the Moselle River, directly opposite the spot where the agreement was signed.

There are certain words and concepts we often hear, yet rarely stop to question. One of these is Schengen. It is a word we have all encountered at least once, but what are we actually talking about when we mention Schengen? To understand it, we need to retrace a long journey. A journey that begins in Sant’Anna di Stazzema and the atrocities of World War II, passing through the reconstruction of an entire continent, a Europe where physical and political walls rise up, built to keep people apart.

There was a time when moving across Europe meant constantly stopping. Everything changed on June 14, 1985, with the signing of the Schengen Agreement.That day, in a small village in Luxembourg, five nations decided to gamble on a different future, a utopia: erasing internal borders. They were guided by a revolutionary idea: that Europe is not a mismatched collection of states, but a single people. An idea deeply rooted in past suffering, a pain that must never be experienced again, at all costs.ConFine is a journey into the heart of the Schengen Agreement, from the circumstances that led to its signing to how it is experienced today, both by those who live within it and those trying to enter its zone.