Agency Report –
The German government has extended controls at all of the country’s land borders by another six months in an effort to further reduce irregular migration, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday.
“With border controls, we are effectively pushing back irregular migration, as the figures show,” said Scholz in a written statement explaining the decision.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: “We are stopping smugglers who brutally commodify people and smuggle them across borders. And we are putting a stop to criminals and extremists.”
Germany is a central member of the Schengen Area, which allows free movement of people without border controls.
However, the country first introduced temporary checks on the Austrian border during the 2015 European migrant crisis, before extending them to Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic in 2023.
The controls were then extended to all Germany’s land borders in September 2024, with the Scholz administration citing irregular migration, Islamic terrorism and transnational crime to justify the move.
According to Interior Ministry figures, border officials have detected around 80,000 unauthorized entries in recent months.
Some 1,900 smugglers have been detained and around 47,000 people have been turned back due to forged documents or missing visas.
The special provision authorizing the controls have now been extended until September 15.
By Michael Fischer
