German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser (SPD) ordered the expansion of restrictions, promising that travelers should not expect major traffic disruptions. Tests are legally possible from midnight on Monday. The local federal police headquarters will decide when exactly the first police officers will start working in their respective borders.
Established on migration basis
Fazer reported the checks as required to the EU Commission last Monday and justified them with the heavy burden on Germany due to irregular migration. They are originally scheduled for six months.
However, it has been shown in the past that once such restrictions are initiated, they will not end anytime soon. Police have been checking the land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland since mid-October. Police have been on the Austrian border since autumn 2015.
This has been common practice in Austria for many years
According to the Schengen Agreement, this is not actually provided for in principle. But many Schengen countries, such as Austria, monitor their land borders and limit irregular migration, partly justifying this with the dangers posed by the threat of Islamic terrorism or Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Standard boundary constraints implement so-called rejections. This is less time-consuming than ensuring that someone who has already entered the country illegally leaves Germany again.
According to the German Interior Ministry, there have been more than 30,000 rejections at German borders since October 2023. Foreigners who have not applied for asylum and are subject to an entry ban are currently rejected. The “traffic light” coalition rejected the union faction’s demand for more comprehensive rejections due to concerns about European law.
Scholz sees understanding among neighbors
In talks with neighbors about expanding border controls, German Chancellor Olaf Scholes (SPD) says he understands the desire to bring irregular immigration under control. He “started talking very carefully with neighboring leaders, including the head of the European Commission,” he told reporters in Samarkand on a trip to Uzbekistan. Austria and Poland have previously expressed concerns.
“Everyone knows that we operate within the framework of European law, but make the most of our opportunities. “That is also necessary,” explained Schaalz. “Everyone understands that the number of people coming to Germany is very high, so it is up to the German government to ensure that we bring these things under control through good management of irregular migration. Understandably curious. This included the new policy of imposing such restrictions on all German borders.
