Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Borderline. EU Border Surveillance Initiatives. An Assessment of the Costs and Its Impact on Fundamental Rights
A research paper written by Dr. Ben Hayes / Mathias Vermeulen, Berlin, May 2012
http://media.de.indymedia.org/media/2012/05//330401.pdf
Preface
The upheavals in North Africa have lead to a short‐term rise of refugees to Europe, yet, demonstrably, there has been no wave of refugees heading for Europe. By far most refugees have found shelter in neighbouring Arab countries. Nevertheless, in June 2011, the EU’s heads of state precipitately passed a resolution with far‐reaching consequences, one that will result in new border
policies “protecting” the Union against migration. In addition to new rules and the re‐introduction of
border controls within the Schengen Area, the heads of state also insisted on upgrading the EU’s
external borders using state‐of‐art surveillance technology, thus turning the EU into an electronic
fortress.