Interior Minister Nancy Faeser confirmed on Monday that these enhanced checks, initially scheduled to last for six months, would begin next week.
Germany’s border checks, which have previously targeted specific borders, will now extend to all land borders, including those with fellow Schengen Zone countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands, France, and Poland.
Faeser emphasised that the expansion of the controls is aimed at tackling irregular migration and addressing security threats posed by Islamist terrorist groups and cross-border criminal networks.
“We are doing everything we can to protect the people in our country against this,” Faeser stated, adding, “We are strengthening our internal security through concrete action and continuing our tough stance against irregular migration.”
The announcement follows a surge in first-time asylum requests last year, prompting Germany to already impose stricter controls at its borders with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Switzerland. While those checks were meant to be temporary, they have been extended repeatedly.