EU-Inner Grenzen - Constant border checks: Is there enough personnel?
FDP Fraction Leader Christian Dürr is pushing for the enhanced border controls during the UEFA European Football Championship (EM) to be extended. In an interview with the Funke Media Group, he stated that this is "very effective" in "apprehending those who want to enter the country illegally." Dürr is following a demand from the interior ministers of the union-led federal states. However, there is opposition from the Police Union (GdP) – and thus from the Federal Police itself.
Andreas Roßkopf, the chairman of the GdP federal police sector, stated in an interview that "the border controls during the EM functioned 100%," but they are not sustainable in the long term to protect the borders at this intensity. The Federal Police is deploying 22,000 civil servants and employees daily for the EM.
The Federal Police is already short on funds
In fact, the Bundespolizei was already 500 million Euro short in the budget this year, as Roßkopf further explained. They lack the necessary equipment for flexible, modern border controls with surveillance drones and mobile containers. Roßkopf called for a special fund for internal security "still this year." However, this is a wishful thinking given the current budget situation.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had applied to the European Union for controls at all borders until July 19 due to the EM. The tournament ends on Sunday with the final between England and Spain in Berlin.
Assessment of the border controls
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry recently released numbers for the strengthened border controls for the period from June 7 to 27: Approximately 600 open arrest warrants were executed and around 150 smugglers were temporarily detained. In about 3,200 cases, "preventive measures to prevent entry" were taken.
The Federal Interior Ministry pointed out that borders in the Schengen Area cannot be constantly controlled. This is only possible if internal security is seriously threatened. The instrument is also only temporarily valid and should be used as a last resort, the spokesperson explained.
Special controls already in place at all borders
However, there are already several measures in place for stronger control: The Federal Police has been using the permissible instrument of veil search at the German borders with Denmark, the Benelux countries, and France for a longer time to combat cross-border criminality. This will continue, according to a spokesperson for Nancy Faeser.
The Federal Interior Ministry announced at the end of May that the stationary controls at the land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, which are scheduled to take effect from the fall of 2023, would be extended by half a year until December 15. The reason given was to combat smuggler crime and limit irregular migration. The border controls at the German-Austrian land border have been in effect since fall 2015 and are valid until November 11.
Dürr called for a fundamental reduction in migration. The real goal should be "that as few people as possible come to Germany who neither have an asylum claim nor a refugee status," said the FDP fraction leader.
- In contrast to Christian Dürr's stance on extending enhanced border controls during the European Football Championship, the Police Union, led by Andreas Roßkopf, believes that while the border controls functioned effectively during the tournament, they are unsustainable in the long term due to budget constraints and the lack of necessary equipment.
- Despite opposition from the Police Union and Federal Police, Nancy Faeser, the Federal Interior Minister, has applied to the European Union for controls at all borders to remain in place until July 19 due to the EM.
- The Federal Police has been utilizing veil searches at German borders with Denmark, the Benelux countries, and France to combat cross-border criminality for an extended period, a practice that will continue according to a spokesperson for Nancy Faeser.
