From next week, there will be controls at all German borders, Interior Minister Faeser announced. In addition, “refusals that comply with European law” must be possible. But Austria does not want to accept rejected immigrants.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has temporarily extended border controls to all German borders. The reason, Faeser says, is not only to limit illegal migration, but also to protect domestic security from the current threat of Islamist terrorism and cross-border crime.
The additional controls will start on September 16 and initially last for six months. “This will involve a full package of fixed and mobile border police measures at all borders, including the possibility of refusal in accordance with European and national law,” the ministry said in a statement. The impact on commuters must be kept as low as possible.
In mid-October 2023, Faeser had already ordered fixed controls on the borders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. These controls, based on irregular migration, have been in place on the German-Austrian border since September 2015. Now, as during the European Championships, controls are also in place on the borders of France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
In fact, there are no plans for border controls within the Schengen area. If this happens in exceptional cases, it must be reported to the European Commission.
“model Comply with European law refusal”
In addition to border controls, Faeser announced an expansion of migrant rejections at Germany’s borders, without giving details. After a migration meeting with a group of federal parliamentarians and state representatives last week, the government said it had “developed an effective rejection model that complies with European law”. This model goes beyond the rejections currently taking place.
Faeser said he had relayed this to the coalition and had held confidential discussions about it. A meeting with the coalition parliamentary group and the president of the chancellery is scheduled for Tuesday.
Union participation unclear
But it is unclear whether actual talks will take place, because the coalition’s participation is not yet certain. We are currently “hearing quite contradictory information from the federal government about what they really want now,” said Friedrich Merz, head of the parliamentary group. It is unclear whether there will actually be a blanket refusal at the border.
The government must say “what it actually plans to do now” before the meeting, Merz continued. Until such a declaration is made, the coalition will not decide whether to engage in talks.
Austria wants Rejected Not recording
In principle, refusals at the internal German border are only possible if there are direct border controls. According to the Ministry of the Interior, since October 2023, these checks have detected around 52,000 unauthorized entries into Germany and around 30,000 refusals. The latter currently only exist in certain cases, i.e. when someone is banned from entering or does not apply for asylum.
The EU has repeatedly called for large-scale rejections that were previously considered difficult to harmonize with European law. It also seeks to reject people who have already applied for asylum in other EU countries or could have applied for it.
Austria has already said it will not accept any immigrants rejected by Germany. “Austria will not accept people rejected by Germany,” Interior Minister Gerhard Carne told the Bild newspaper and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “There is no room for that. That is the law. He has therefore instructed the Austrian Federal Police Chief not to carry out any handovers.”
Police see weaknesses in execution
Police representatives and experts are somewhat critical of the border controls. The police union (GdP) has previously criticized previous border control measures. “The staffing is too high compared to what we achieved,” said Andreas Roßkopf, chairman of the Federal Police. Ultimately, the increased border presence due to this redeployment could lead to a decrease in security in other areas. Anyone who wants to enter the country illegally or smuggle goods now knows where the increased controls are. The measures are too strict and inflexible.
The GdP generally welcomes the rejection of asylum seekers at the border, which police officers say should be regulated in a way that “does not create legal problems later”. The Federal Police, which is responsible for border control, is already stretched to its limits.
expert Against permanent fixed control
Criticism also came from the Expert Committee on Integration and Migration (SVR), which advises the federal government on these issues. The SVR rejects permanent fixed controls within the Schengen area, citing arguments similar to those of the GdP. “Smugglers adapt quickly to these situations and there are high economic costs when there is border congestion,” the expert council said.
The SVR also criticizes the current public debate for not solving single issues but rather for stoking fear and undermining social cohesion. “Activism raises the expectation that everyone involved in politics should be disarmed with words,” says SVR President Hans Vorländer. “If the problem is enforcement of the law, then demanding more changes and stronger laws does not help.”
Vorländer said that if expectations are raised to an unmet level, there is a risk of losing trust among citizens. In addition, a discourse focused on preventing migration can discourage workers and skilled workers who are interested in and need migration, and can foster social divisions.
Information provided by Tina Handel, ARD Berlin
Uli Hauck, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, 9 September 2024, 6:29 PM
