Now that the migrant emergency threatens to eclipse that following WWII, Germany and France have roused.
After meeting today, the two nations have agreed to push for more coordinated immigration policies and security measures across the EU.
Germany in particular wants mandatory refugee quotas in EU states, although a similar plan was rejected in June, after strong opposition especially from Spain and most eastern European countries.
Immigration pressure coupled with the foiled train attack over the weekend has led several EU countries to seek the reestablishment of border controls in the passport-free Schengen area.
Germany itself has warned that controls could be reintroduced unless other nations shelter more refugees.
But since June, countless migrants have arrived in Greece, Italy and the Balkans. About 7,000 walked into Serbia on Monday alone in their effort to reach the EU, first through Hungary and then onto more developed nations.
The European commission, which oversees the Schengen system, is tenaciously defending it, saying that travel area would not be changed. It added that countries could institute identify checks or other monitoring techniques on trains and in problem areas as long as these fall short of border controls.
