The debate has started on whether the European Union (EU) should preserve the Schengen agreement, which enables all Schengen visa holders to travel freely within the EU after it was revealed that one of the suicide bombers in Brussels also assembled the explosive vests used in last November’s Paris attacks.
While some residents believed the Schengen agreement should be changed to strengthen security, many Europeans are calling for stricter border controls around the continent.
“What we have to do is to keep Schengen, but do more border control on the limits of Europe. Be strict on all the borders about Europe, but inside, let’s keep this market open for everybody,” said a Brussels resident.
Some said that the terrorist attacks have influenced Europeans’ lives, but it is not necessary to change the Schengen agreement that has existed for decades.
“It is not enough to change the whole direction of what’s going on. It is not enough, I mean, it is not that important. Of course, it is scary. Of course,” said a French visitor in Brussels.
At least 34 people were killed and another 170 injured in Tuesday’s attacks at Brussels’s Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station. The Islamic State (ISIS / ISIL / Daesh) has claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Tuesday’s blasts were the third deadly terrorist attack in Europe in the last 15 months, with the first taking place last January at the office of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing over 10, and the second also in Paris last November, killing over 130, Reuters reported.
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