Practices of External Control: Is There a North-South Divide?

Abstract In the making of European Union, external border and migration control are key concerns. While uniform legal frameworks have been designed to regulate those policy areas, their implementation is within remit Member States. How do national practices translate EU on paper? What determinants cross-national differences in practice? Do support thesis a North-South divide EU? To reply questions, this chapter focuses ways which one instrument -the Schengen visa policy- put into action. I use case Italy, southern country countries that issues highest numbers visas, shed light how why day-to-day challenge paths as well between Northern Southern countries. The analysis entanglements logics paper, narratives organizational while looking at continuities novelties. It puts forward governing Italy’s historically distant from model, builds initiators process. Nevertheless, such distance diminishes stage implementation. National boundaries action blurred ground. Dynamics change triggered below.