Germany announces passport checks at all land borders
The German Interior ministry has announced nationwide border checks in an attempt to crack down on irregular migration and protect domestic security. The decision means checks will also take place at the border with Belgium.
Interior minister Nancy Faeser on Monday confirmed there would be passport controls along all of the country's land borders. The checks, according to the minister, are intended to curb the number of people entering Germany without visas.
Checks were already in place at the borders with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland. Temporary checks were also carried out at the border with France during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Monday's decision, which will introduce checks at the Danish, Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourgish border, will take effect from 16 September. The measure is meant to curb irregular migration and address extremist threats.
Intense debates
Germany and its neighbours are part of the Schengen zone, in which it is normally possible to travel without border controls. Previous checks were therefore temporary, although Berlin repeatedly extended them.
The announcement comes as long-standing debates over immigration and the asylum system in Germany intensified in recent weeks after a deadly knife attack left three dead in the western German city of Solingen this month. The suspected attacker, a Syrian citizen, had escaped deportation from Germany to Bulgaria, where he first entered the EU.
Germany’s centre-left government has been engaging in talks with the opposition to discuss how to curb migration. Last week, the far-right anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland won state elections in Thuringia and came second in Saxony, putting even more pressure on the migration policy talks.
German Interior minister Nancy Faeser © PHOTO TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP
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