Germany Begins Controls at All Land Borders Today

Starting today, September 16, German police have initiated controls at all country’s land borders, in what Germany’s authorities have described as an effective means to combat irregular migration.

The decision that sparked controversies among the EU authorities was announced last week by German Minister of Interior Nancy Faeser, emphasising that the measure is set to remain effective for six months, Schengen.News reports.

Through a statement, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the new changes will take effect from today, September 16, with her stressing that the decision comes in a bid to fight irregular migration.

Travel & Commuter Traffic to Be Affected as Little as Possible

Through a statement, the Ministry of the Interior said that travel and commuter traffic and business and trade should be affected “as little as possible”. The Ministry said the Federal Police is working closely with its partners in neighbouring countries. However, temporary disruptions to cross-border traffic cannot be excluded.

Germany’s Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, also stressed that the country wants to ensure that commuters, people in the border regions, as well as trade and the economy, are affected as little as possible by the new changes.

Germany’s Reintroduction of Border Controls Sparks Controversies Among EU Countries

In line with the Schengen Borders Code (SBC), Member States are permitted to reintroduce border controls at internal borders in case of a serious threat to public policy or internal security. However, it should be applied as a last-resort measure under exceptional circumstances.

At present, temporary border controls are already effective at Germany’s borders with Austria, Czechia, Poland and Switzerland.

From today, following the new changes, controls will also be conducted at Germany’s borders with Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Denmark.

Czechia’s Interior Ministry spokesperson, Hana Malá, recently said that the prolongation of border controls would lead to the domino effect of controls throughout the Schengen Area.

Germany’s decision to impose frontier checks in a bid to halt irregular migrations has also been criticised by the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.

The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also criticised Germany’s new changes related to border controls.

Source: https://schengen.news/germany-begins-controls-at-all-land-borders-today/