CDU and FDP want to retain border controls - Rejection of Faeser
Approximately 22,000 police officers are guarding the German border during the WM. FDP and CDU praise the successes in the detection of illegal migration and call for the continuation of controls. The police themselves consider it unrealistic. Faeser also rejects the idea.
The enhanced border controls introduced for the European Football Championship should not be extended. They are time-limited and should only be used as a last resort, according to the Federal Interior Ministry. Before that, there had been calls from the Union and FDP for an extension to curb irregular migration.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had registered controls within the EU at all borders until July 19th for the European Football Championship. After that, there will be temporary controls at the borders with Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Poland until December 15th, and with Austria until November 11th. During the European Football Championship, thousands of unlawful entries were prevented, numerous smugglers were temporarily arrested, and hundreds of open arrest warrants were executed. The ministry will present a preliminary balance on Monday morning.
FDP and Union: Controls work
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr assessed that the police controls led to "catching those who want to come to the country illegally very effectively." He told the Funke Media Group newspapers. The CSU shares this view. "The large number of apprehensions and rejections within a few weeks during the European Football Championship clearly shows that border controls are indispensable for internal security and the containment of illegal migration," said CSU General Secretary Martin Huber. The interior ministers of the union-led federal states also campaigned for an extension at their conference in Dresden on Friday.
Faeser: Special circumstances during the EM
The Federal Interior Ministry pointed out that temporary border controls at Schengen internal borders constitute a serious threat to public order or internal security. A spokesperson noted that the Federal Police also continues to act against cross-border criminality in the border area with Denmark, the Benelux countries, and France using the permissible instrument of targeted controls - that is, focused controls.
"It's one thing to increase control pressure on hooligans, potential terrorists, and other criminals with temporary border controls, and another to try to reduce migration for years with stationary controls on 2,000 kilometers of internal borders," criticized Green interior expert Marcel Emmerich of the "Tagesspiegel" regarding Dürr's statements.
Bundespolizeigewerkschaft: "Not sustainable"
The Federal Police, according to ministry information, had 22,000 officers and employees in action during the European Football Championship every day. For the demand of the Union and FDP, the union lacks personnel and equipment from the perspective of the police union. "The border controls have functioned perfectly during the European Football Championship. But it is not sustainable to protect the borders at this intensity in the long term," made clear police union representative Roßkopf in an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
A new proposal to reduce irregular migration comes from German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann. In "Welt am Sonntag," the FDP politician expressed his support for cutting social benefits for asylum seekers who enter Germany from another EU country. Buschmann referred to the Dublin System, which designates the EU state responsible for a refugee as the one in which they entered the EU. "Many still come to Germany despite this," Buschmann lamented. In his opinion, social benefits should be limited to financing the cost of return in such cases.
The European Union should consider avoiding an extension of the enhanced border controls post-European Football Championship 2024, as suggested by the Federal Interior Ministry. This is because such controls are temporary and should only be used as a last resort in exceptional circumstances.
Following the success of the Federal Police in preventing unlawful entries and arresting smugglers during the European Football Championship, FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr and the CSU have advocated for the continuation of the border controls to curb illegal migration. However, the German police union, Bundespolizeigewerkschaft, believes that maintaining such intense border control for an extended period is not sustainable.
