Germany today presents its plan to end uncontrolled illegal immigration into the country by tightening border controls at all nine borders.
The new controls will initially last six months and are expected to consist of temporary structures at border crossings and random checks by the federal police.
The coalition government hopes to show that it is taking the fight against illegal migration seriously, following the series of Islamic attacks in recent months that have mobilised far-right groups.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stressed yesterday that the move would help “stop criminals and identify and stop Islamists at an early stage.”
But this policy has also been criticised internally and risks breaking up Germany’s centre-left coalition and alienating its European neighbours.
Police at the German-Polish border monitor traffic as stricter border controls are introduced
The checks will initially be carried out for a period of six months (Photo: Kehl, Germany on Monday)
A German police officer stands guard next to a dog at the border with France on Monday
Poland and Austria are among neighbours that have expressed concerns, while the European Commission has warned that members of the 27-nation bloc should only implement such measures in exceptional circumstances.
Germany is located in the heart of Europe and borders nine countries that are part of the visa-free Schengen area, which allows the free movement of people and goods.
Border controls were already in place with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland before the stricter measures were announced.
But these are now also being extended to Germany’s borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
Faeser said the government hopes to minimize the impact on people living and working in border regions and pledged “coordination with our neighboring countries.”
However, the Ministry of Interior noted that travelers must carry identification documents when crossing the border.
However, companies operating in the region warn that stricter border controls could have serious consequences.
Geert van Eijk, from trade association Evofenedex, said that delays could cost ‘tens, perhaps even hundreds of millions of euros’.
In recent weeks, Germany has been shocked by a series of extremist attacks, fueling public anger.
Last month, a man with a knife killed three people and injured eight others at a festival in the western city of Solingen.
The Syrian suspect, who is said to have ties to the Islamic State, was to be deported but managed to evade authorities.
The failure to enforce the measure has sparked fierce debate ahead of two regional elections in the former communist east, where the anti-immigration AfD party achieved unprecedented results.
With national elections looming next year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government is under intense political pressure to toughen its stance on migrants and asylum seekers.
Scholz was in Uzbekistan on Sunday to sign a migration deal that will allow workers to come to Germany. At the same time, deportation procedures in the opposite direction will be simplified so that “those who have to go back will actually go back,” the chancellor said.
Closer to home, the German government has unveiled plans to accelerate deportations to European partners.
Under EU rules, asylum applications must be processed by the country of arrival. The system has put enormous pressure on countries on Europe’s periphery, where leaders have demanded more burden-sharing.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that by imposing stricter borders, Germany was “effectively shifting responsibility to countries on Europe’s external borders.”
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said his country “will not accept people rejected by Germany”, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the German move as “unacceptable”.
Warsaw is also struggling with migration problems, accusing Moscow of smuggling people from Africa and the Middle East into Europe by sending them to the Polish border via Belarus.
Berlin reported on Friday that Tusk and Scholz had discussed the issue and agreed to strengthen the EU’s external borders, “especially in view of Belarus’ cynical instrumentalisation of migrants”.
The far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is the first of its kind to win a victory in the country since World War II (file photo, August 31)
A police officer checks vehicles near the Belgian border in Aachen on Monday
Police officers check a van at the Bunderneuland border crossing early Monday morning
Meanwhile, Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban mocked Germany’s Chancellor on the social media site X, writing: “Bundeskanzler Scholz, welcome to the club! #StopMigration.”
Germany took in more than a million asylum seekers in 2015-2016, including many Syrians. Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, Germany has also taken in more than a million Ukrainians.
According to the Berlin Ministry of the Interior, the new border controls must take into account the additional burden on municipal authorities and integration services in Germany.
In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Dick Schoof unveiled the country’s toughest migration policy yet on Friday, saying the country will file a request to withdraw from the EU’s common asylum policy next week.
A coalition of four parties, dominated by the far-right party Geert Wilders, wants to declare an “asylum crisis” to stem the influx of migrants with a series of strict rules, including border controls.