European Union ministers met on January 25 to discuss the suspension of the Schengen Agreement in response to the torrent of migrants entering the Continent. The Schengen Agreement has allowed free movement among compliant EU member states since 1995.

Under the proposal, border controls would be set up among the 26 Schengen-member states for a minimum of two years, which would put an end to the passport-free travel zone—at least temporarily.

Although border restrictions had been tightened in a few EU countries, the number of migrants entering Europe was not diminishing, according to Dutch Migration Minister Klaas Dijkhoff. “These measures are inevitable at this point in time,” he said concerning the suspension.

“If border controls were allowed to remain for two years, it is difficult to see that they would ever be removed,” said an EU official, according to the Times. Although EU governments don’t want to admit it, “the brief era of borderless travel through most of the European Union is over,” wrote Politico in late 2015.

Many officials are pessimistic about the Schengen Agreement’s future. Germany, Austria and Sweden have voiced the loudest criticisms, as they have taken in about 90 percent of asylum seekers over the past year. In early January, Germany’s economics minister told Bild that “Schengen has collapsed.” Austria’s chancellor said that if the external borders were not secured in the near future, “the whole EU [will be] in question.” Sweden’s home affairs minister indicated Greece should be “restricted” from connections to the Schengen area if it was unable to pull its weight.

Yet EU nations, on the whole, still want to hold on to the benefits of the Schengen Agreement. “If border patrols are reintroduced, it will be very expensive,” said Germany’s veteran Christian Democratic Union foreign-policy expert Elmar Brok. “Both the business community and normal people will long for Schengen.”

(Listen to Trumpet Daily Radio Show host Stephen Flurry discuss this subject at 8:30)

An alternative to a total Schengen collapse is the “mini-Schengen” plan. First circulated by the Dutch, this would cause the Schengen Area to shrink down to a handful of nations: Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

European politicians have been issuing deadlines for action from their national leaders, and now warnings are being proclaimed to the EU. Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said, “Speaking about timetables, it’s already too late. We have seven countries with border controls.” Dijkhoff believes time has already run out.

Europe is changing—rapidly. To find out how the new Europe will look, read “Paris Attacks Reveal the Outlines of a New Europe.”