• chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      They have a lot of borders.

      They’re similar to the US under the Articles of Confederation. Separate states with free passage among them. Going from France to Germany is effectively the same as going from Georgia to Tennessee.

      • kungen@feddit.nu
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        4 days ago

        Free passage, but limited rights. In the US, you could move to a state with “easier” welfare programs, and collect them… whereas in the EU (Schengen), you’re not allowed to stay longer than 90 days at a time without having a job/being able to support yourself.

      • angrystego@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Exactly, the US also used to have serious borders, now you can travel and work anywhere you want. EU is more interesting in this case because it’s more recent and it consists of national states.

    • Lennny@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      EU has borders though, it just functions like the United States does (in a republican wet dream) in that it’s a conglomerate of a bunch of “states”. ask the UK fucks that get kicked out of Spain now. No borders inside the territory but there’s absolutely borders on the outside.

      • angrystego@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Yes. It used to be a bunch of more or less national states mosty at war with each other though. The fact Schengen was created is pretty mind blowing to me.

      • angrystego@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Well, they used to kill each other not so long ago. Look at the 20th century (or any previous one) - they hated each other. They’ve opened lots of borders since then and it was a gradual process with lots of negotiations and conditions. I’m sure you don’t think it’s possible to open a border without proper preparation.