A mayor of a small Alpine village in northern Italy sighed with relief when a plan to erect a barrier at the border with Austria to stem migrant flows was temporarily shelved last week.
Austria had threatened to set up a fence in April in a move widely criticised by the EU commission and Italy. Italy's prime minister at the time said a barrier would be “utterly removed from reality” and a “flagrant breach of European rules”.
Construction has since stopped and tensions calmed. But ...
Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.
Already a member? LoginNikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.
Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.