What's Europe doing in the name of protecting itself from the migrant crisis?
AN INTERACTIVE STORY by Carlos Coelho
What's Europe doing in the name of protecting itself from the migrant crisis?
Sep. 14
Nov. 28
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Early 2015
Photos: EPA, Google Earth
Sep. 13
Month by month Governments across the continent have begun to adopt policies that could cripple the "borderless" Schengen zone, which has become a pillar of EU policy. Navigate the timeline on the left to see how gradually, Europe started shutting its borders.  
Nov. 27
Aug. 28
Nov. 11
2016
By Carlos Coelho Researchers: Deana Kjuka and Diana Munasipova
Aug. 4 
Nov. 10
Jan. 4
Scroll over a date
July
Oct. 15
Jan. 14
Jan. 19
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Greece
Turkey
GREECE becomes the primary point of entry to Europe for refugees and illegal migrants. Authorities say they can't cope with the vast number of asylum seekers.
The Greece-Turkey land border was secured in 2012 with a 12.5-kilometer fence. After the flow of migrants in 2015, EU authorities pressure Greece to register, identify, and fingerprint people.
CEUTA and MELILLA, tiny exclaves of SPAIN in northern Morocco, see massive influxes of Syrian and African migrants.
Both cities are surrounded by multiple six meter-high, barbed-wire fences.
Ceuta
Melilla
Morocco
Construction began in 2013.
Bulgaria
BULGARIA seals itself off from Turkey with a 4.5-meter-high razor-wire fence in an effort to discourage refugees.
Latvia
ESTONIA vows to build a fence along its border with Russia to boost security and protect the Schengen zone.
Estonia
Russia
GERMANY imposes border controls on its Austrian frontier. 
A barbed-wire fence being built by Austria to prevent refugees crossing from Slovenia could remain unfinished due to protests by Austrian winemakers who oppose it.
AUSTRIA begins controls on its Slovenian and Hungarian borders.
Serbia
Hungary
HUNGARY completes a fence along its border with Serbia to stem the flow of migrants and refugees, most of them bound for destinations farther west.
Slovakia
SLOVAKIA imposes border controls.
Croatia
Nearly 400,000 migrants and refugees had crossed Hungary on their way farther west.
HUNGARY finishes building a fence along its border with Croatia.
In Calais, the British and French governments plan to build a security enclosure to prevent migrants from reaching 800 meters of tracks leading to the Channel Tunnel. About 2,500 people live in camps, known as "the Jungle," on the edge of Calais.
Nov. 10
Calais
FRANCE imposes indefinite border controls after terrorist attacks in Paris blamed on Islamist militants.
Slovenia
SLOVENIA begins erecting a razor-wire fence on its border with Croatia. Ljubljana says it may impose further border controls if Germany and Austria do.
NORWAY introduces border controls to halt refugees spilling out of Sweden.  
MACEDONIA starts building a 3-meter-high razor-wire fence on its border with Greece.
SWEDEN imposes ID checks for rail passengers traveling from Denmark.    
DENMARK tightens controls on its southern border with Germany.    
NORWAY orders refugees to return to Russia. In response, Russia closes its borders for "security reasons."
HUNGARY expresses willingness to fence its border with Romania if migrants switch to that route instead of traveling via Croatia.
Romania
Razor-wire is going up all over Europe to keep out illegal migrants
As EU policymakers struggle to deal with one of the largest mass migrations since WWII, countries throughout the EU and its Schengen Area are erecting their own fences and imposing border controls to prevent migrants from entering their territory.
Click to start
More than a million migrants navigated the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2015, one of the most common routes. As the cold season gives way to rising temperatures in 2016, many more migrants are expected to attempt the perilous journey to Europe.
GO
Such impediments might simply prompt migrants to find alternate routes or turn to smuggling networks.  
As EU policymakers struggle to deal with one of the largest mass migrations since WWII, countries throughout the EU and its Schengen Area are erecting their own fences and imposing border controls to prevent migrants from entering their territory.
Tap to start
More than a million migrants navigated the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2015, one of the most common routes. As the cold season gives way to rising temperatures in 2016, many more migrants are expected to attempt the perilous journey to Europe.
Such impediments might simply prompt migrants to find alternate routes or turn to smuggling networks.
Governments across the continent have begun to adopt policies that could cripple the "borderless" Schengen zone, which has become a pillar of EU policy.
Month by month
Early 2015 GREECE becomes the primary point of entry to Europe for refugees and illegal migrants. Authorities say they can't cope with the vast number of asylum seekers. The Greece-Turkey land border was secured in 2012 with a 12.5-kilometer fence. After the flow of migrants in 2015, EU authorities pressure Greece to register, identify, and fingerprint people.
July, 2015 CEUTA and MELILLA, tiny exclaves of SPAIN in northern Morocco, see massive influxes of Syrian and African migrants. Both cities are surrounded by multiple six meter-high, barbed-wire fences.
August 4, 2015 BULGARIA seals itself off from Turkey with a 4.5-meter-high razor-wire fence in an effort to discourage refugees. Construction began in 2013.
August 28, 2015 ESTONIA vows to build a fence along its border with Russia to boost security and protect the Schengen zone.
September 13, 2015 GERMANY imposes border controls on its Austrian frontier.
September 14, 2015 AUSTRIA begins controls on its Slovenian and Hungarian borders. A barbed-wire fence being built by Austria to prevent refugees crossing from Slovenia could remain unfinished due to protests by Austrian winemakers who oppose it.
September 14, 2015 HUNGARY completes a fence along its border with Serbia to stem the flow of migrants and refugees, most of them bound for destinations farther west.
September 14, 2015 SLOVAKIA  imposes border controls.
October 15, 2015 HUNGARY finishes building a fence along its border with Croatia. Nearly 400,000 migrants and refugees had crossed Hungary on their way farther west.
November 10, 2015 FRANCE imposes indefinite border controls after terrorist attacks in Paris blamed on Islamist militants.  In Calais, the British and French governments plan to build a security enclosure to prevent migrants from reaching 800 meters of tracks leading to the Channel Tunnel. About 2,500 people live in camps, known as "the Jungle," on the edge of Calais.
November 11, 2015 SLOVENIA begins erecting a razor-wire fence on its border with Croatia. Ljubljana says it may impose further border controls if Germany and Austria do.
November 27, 2015 NORWAY introduces border controls to halt refugees spilling out of Sweden.
November 28, 2015 MACEDONIA starts building a 3-meter-high razor-wire fence on its border with Greece.
January 4, 2016 SWEDEN imposes ID checks for rail passengers traveling from Denmark. 
January 4, 2016 DENMARK tightens controls on its southern border with Germany. 
January 14, 2016 NORWAY orders refugees to return to Russia. In response, Russia closes its borders for "security reasons." 
January 19, 2016 HUNGARY expresses willingness to fence its border with Romania if migrants switch to that route instead of traveling via Croatia.