"We have a plan". That's what the Italian government is going to do if Berlin will seal off Schengen

In the last 48 hours, a number of politicians, including Prime Minister Renzi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Gentiloni, Under Secretary Mr Gozi, and Chairman of the Socialist Group at the European Parliament, Mr Pittella, have made a series of statements radically opposed to any notion of a mini-Schengen. “Such a short sighted choice by certain Nordic countries would have economic and social costs, as well as in terms of ideals", Deputy Minister of the Economy Enrico Zanetti told the Il Foglio newspaper. "This is especially true since Schengen is the foundation of the efforts to go beyond the mere single market on the continent”. (…)

“Today, the position of the Renzi administration is clear. If, in order to manage its external borders, the EU has decided to allocate financial resources to a third country such as Turkey, and if the EU admits that the contributions by member states to Turkey can be deducted from the deficit in compliance with the Stability Pact, how can the same EU now deny that the resources that Italy has spent to manage its borders can also be deducted from the Stability Pact?”. It seems quite logical, however the possibility of an "each to your own" scenario regarding Schengen still lingers. "Closing the borders with Italy is unthinkable. And to even consider any reprisals would be irresponsible", concludes Mr Zanetti. "If Schengen were to collapse, as stated by Mr Renzi, Europe could not go on pretending everything is fine in all other matters. Today's budget rules would not apply, including the Fiscal Compact. By the same token, Rome would not continue to send the same yearly contributions to the EU”.