Kaoru Yoneyama: The Relentless Challenge Toward European Solidarity

2021/10/11

On August 13 of this year, marking 60 years since the start of the construction of the Berlin Wall, ceremonies were held throughout Berlin. In Germany and across Europe, while mourning the victims, there has been a reaffirmation of the weight of freedom and the determination not to repeat the tragic history of division.

The Berlin Wall, a symbol of a divided world, fell in 1989. At that time, the world rejoiced at the end of the Cold War and the hope for peace. More than 30 years later, are the walls of division built at borders decreasing?

According to Canadian geographer Élisabeth Vallet, the number of border walls and fences has increased from 15 after the fall of the Wall to 70 as of 2017. While a borderless world has been welcomed and strongly pursued as the ideal future, many may nod in agreement with this trend, as the construction of border walls and social divisions have become increasingly prominent even in the Western countries that once led the way. As if to exacerbate existing divisions, the COVID-19 pandemic, which has continued to rage since last year, has ironically spread across borders without regard for walls, presenting the world with a new challenge.

In Europe, the closure of internal borders—initially seen as a natural measure against the infectious disease—became a dilemma that shook the EU, which relies on solidarity and unity. In fact, the closures caused various forms of confusion, distrust toward neighboring countries, and discrimination, with the fences blocking borders evoking past traumas of division as "Corona Walls." However, in many border regions within the EU where the damage from the chaos was concentrated, pre-existing cooperation systems between neighboring countries enabled grassroots demands for lifting the closures and fostered collaboration. Driven by this momentum, the EU moved to lift border closures within a few months and has since been tackling the unprecedented pandemic while striving to maintain freedom of movement in accordance with the Schengen Agreement.

No matter how strong the headwinds, Europe's resolve and relentless challenge to overcome them through cooperation and solidarity rather than division make the determination expressed on the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Wall resonate with particular weight. Global issues such as environmental problems, migrants and refugees, and poverty—not just infectious diseases—are piling up, and global unity and cooperation are essential for their resolution. I would like to continue paying close attention to the hints and lessons for collaboration presented by Europe, which has overcome repeated crises of division.