Crossing borders is sometimes a most difficult job. Which border would you abolish immediately?

Dr. Otto Schmuck: One of the most substantial achievements of European integration is the abolishment of borders between EU member states on the bases of the Schengen agreement. For political reasons some politicians have - initially limited in time -closed those borders again, and some of them want to close them generally. We have to defend the principle of open borders in Europe and to oppose attempts to go back to outdated concept of nation states with closed borders.
 
Moreover we have to abolish the borders in the heads and in the minds of our fellow citizens against foreigners and against other than their own ideas, religions, sexual orientations and so on.

Creating the future needs priorities: What is the most important task the EU is facing in the next years?

Dr. Otto Schmuck: It is the most important task of the EU in the next years to bring the EU closer to its citizens. This means to conduct a more social policy which shows the advantages of European integration to all of us: more exchange programs, more efforts to overcome unemployment especially for young people and to close the gender gap and so on and so on. Moreover we need more efforts in the fight against climate change.