In mid-December, Germany extended border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland due to threats to public safety and public order. These were attributed to persistently high levels of irregular migration and migrant smuggling, as well as strain on the asylum reception system. The measure is set to expire in mid-March, but Interior Minister Faeser has already indicated plans to continue border controls into 2024 and 2025.
“Our comprehensive measures to reduce illegal migration and combat smuggling crime are having an effect,” Faeser told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. “We need these controls until the protection of the EU’s external borders is significantly strengthened.”
Gradual extension of controls
As a reminder, checks are currently in place at all German borders. Last September, Germany introduced controls at crossings with Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The border with France had already been under control due to the Paris Olympics, while border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland were implemented in mid-October 2023. In contrast, controls at the German-Austrian border were first introduced in autumn 2015.
Minister Faeser emphasised to the Augsburger Allgemeine that the current measures are yielding tangible results, with deportations increasing by more than 50% over the past two years.
“For the first time, we have also deported dangerous criminals to Afghanistan, as the only country in Europe to do so,” she announced.