The Schengen space and the open border policy is inherent to the self-image of the EU. However, since 2015, internal European border controls have become the rule rather than the exception, accompanied by an increasing fortification of external borders. ‚European Integration theories’ usually focus on the questions why and how internal borders are removed, which is why there is a theoretical gap concerning internal rebordering that has been only recently filled with new theoretical reflections (Schimmelfennig 2021, Genschel and Jachtenfuchs 2021).
However, rebordering is also problematic for the EU’s self, which was until now sustained by the imaginary of a ‘borderless Europe’. Consequently, the EU needs to find ways to deal with rebordering practices which are in opposition to this self-imaginary. The theoretical concept of ontological security has been used in order to find explanations how individuals but also states manage moments of fear and anxiety. Ontological security follows the basic assumption that security concerns not only physical aspects but also the ‘security of the self’ (Kinnvall 2004; Mitzen 2006b). Following this approach can thus help us to better understand how internal border controls challenge the EU’s imaginary of the self and how the EU’s Schengen narrative is sustained. This paper aims to shed light on the development of the EU’s Schengen narrative in response to the internal bordering practices and how the perceptions of (post-)sovereignty evolved over time.
