Germany Enforces Permanent Border Controls Amid Rising Migration

Germany's Interior Ministry is gearing up to institute permanent border controls along its frontiers with Poland, Czechia, and Switzerland as part of a strategy to reduce the influx of refugees into the country. Reports suggest that the necessary notification to the EU Commission will be prepared by the coming Monday. This move follows a model already in place at the Austrian border for the past eight years, featuring police checks.

Nancy Faeser, Germany's Interior Minister, had been hesitant to establish permanent border controls, primarily due to concerns about impinging on the freedom of movement within the Schengen Area. Nevertheless, interior ministers from the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg have been pushing for the implementation of such measures.

Faeser highlighted that the Federal Police would have the flexibility to deploy both stationary and mobile border police measures as needed, with the legal groundwork for this now in place following the notification of controls at the Czech, Polish, and Swiss land borders. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that these measures do not disrupt free movement, especially for daily commuters, trade, and travel.

While temporary controls had been introduced at border crossings with Poland and Czechia last month, the recent surge in migrant arrivals has prompted German municipalities to urge the federal government to provide additional funding for addressing the situation. They've also noted that the current accommodation and services situation is reminiscent of the 2015 European migrant crisis when Germany received over one million refugees from the Middle East.

The ongoing migration challenge in the country has raised concerns among opposition parties in Germany, prompting calls for the government to limit the number of asylum-seekers. Bavaria's conservative premier, Markus Soeder, has proposed a maximum cap of 200,000 asylum seekers.

Smuggling activities along Germany's borders with neighboring countries have worsened in recent months. In October alone, the Federal Police identified approximately 98,000 irregular border crossings in Germany, a notable increase compared to the 92,000 crossings reported in 2022. This has added urgency to the need for stricter border controls and management.

By fLEXI tEAM