Calls for tighter border controls and changes to free movement in Europe are raising concerns about how future travel could affect Africans who visit, study, work or live in European countries.
The debate has intensified following a rise in irregular migration to Spain, with about 49,000 migrants from Morocco reportedly arriving in the country.
French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen has called for France to strengthen its borders and restrict free movement within the Schengen Area to European Union nationals.
In a post on X, she wrote: “Faced with the massive and coordinated influx of migrants into Spain, encouraged by the Spanish government, France must without delay strengthen controls at its borders. And in 2027, we will put an end to this madness by reserving Schengen free movement for EU nationals.”
While the proposal remains a political position rather than an official European Union policy, any major changes to Europe’s border and travel system could have implications for Africans.
