The European Union’s Border Management. A study about the coordination in its horizontal and vertical dimension

One of the greatest achievements of the European Union (EU) is the abolition of internal borders and the establishment of the right to free movement. Consequently, the EU has made an effort managing its common external borders by establishing several internal mechanisms, instruments and bodies as well as various forms of cooperation with the associated Schengen countries and external third actors. Considering the various means of the EU’s border policy, the question arises how these different efforts are coordinated. As for the EU’s border management to be effective it has to take place at different levels. Hence, this study’s analysis is guided by an altered version of the four-tier access control model developed in the EU Schengen Catalogue. Thereby, the focus lies on the different efforts undertaken by the EU as well as on the coordination in the horizontal and the vertical dimension of border management. As result, this thesis suggests that the mode of coordination depends on the respective stakeholders involved and the EU’s relationship towards these actors and therefore varies across the different levels of border management