- Green politicians call for an end to border controls
In an open letter to the EU Commission, Green politicians criticize the internal border controls ordered by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). "We are writing to you today with concern about the stationary border controls to Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland introduced by the Federal Ministry of the Interior," the letter from Europa, federal, and state parliamentarians of the party to the EU Commission and its President Ursula von der Leyen reads.
Currently, Germany, along with seven other EU member states, is not acting in accordance with the Schengen Border Code, the letter states. "Moreover, a new expert opinion shows that the intended effect of the border controls and the success reports related to them are very questionable and often not statistically proven. Instead, there are indications of detours, double counting, and possibly illegal rejections."
The letter is signed, among others, by MEPs Anna Cavazzini and Erik Marquardt, Members of the German Bundestag Filiz Polat and Marcel Emmerich, and Member of the Brandenburg State Parliament Sahra Damus.
Temporary controls at several land borders
Faeser ordered stationary controls at the borders with Czech Republic, Poland, and Switzerland last October and notified the EU Commission. Stationary controls have been in place at the border with Austria since 2015. These controls have been extended several times to limit irregular migration and combat smuggling crime.
They are currently scheduled to end on December 15 for Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Poland, and on November 11 for Austria. Additionally, controls were carried out at the border with France during the Olympic Games in Paris. During the UEFA European Football Championship in June, controls were carried out at all German borders.
Faeser recently emphasized the effectiveness of these border controls. With the stationary internal border controls she ordered, she said last week, the routes of smugglers were being disrupted.
Green parliamentarians demand return to open Schengen area
The introduction of temporary fixed internal border controls for major events such as the UEFA European Football Championship and the Olympic Games is understandable as a short-term measure, the Green parliamentarians write. However, they believe that there should be an exit from the partly years-long stationary border controls at the end of these major events.
"The EU Commission must ensure legal compliance," the letter states. The stationary internal border controls are causing strain on people and businesses in border regions, commuters, trade, and the police themselves. The police union has pointed out the enormous costs and denied the effectiveness of the controls.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior, headed by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, is the entity responsible for ordering the temporary border controls at several land borders with Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland. Green politicians, in their open letter to the EU Commission, express their concern over these controls and question their effectiveness and statistical proof.
