Horst Seehofer, Germany’s interior minister said it was “legitimate” to protect borders.

The country’s Serb-run entity, Republika Srpska, will quit key state institutions to achieve full autonomy.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” With its new measures, Italy— and, for that matter, the many other European governments pursuing a similar path—is sacrificing a lot of liberty in exchange for hardly any extra safety.