Woidke: Border controls with Poland show success
The fixed controls at the border with Poland to prevent illegal entry into Germany are successful in the view of Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD). "The fact is that apprehensions have been significantly reduced, we are feeling the effect," said Woidke on Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday morning. "The border controls have made a difference for the time being." The measures have also largely worked with regard to commuter traffic.
Now talks with the neighboring country are needed, Woidke demanded. "What urgently needs to be done: if we were to carry out these controls on Polish territory and thus move away from the border." This would also eliminate the disadvantages for the border region.
This Monday, the heads of the federal states will meet with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Berlin to discuss the issue of irregular migration. Minister President Woidke called for a joint approach by the federal states in light of his Bavarian counterpart Markus Söder's (CSU) call for an amendment to the article on asylum in the Basic Law. "I believe that before we talk about changes to the Basic Law, we should first see that the rules we have are implemented."
It was only in October that the minister presidents agreed on a package of measures to limit irregular migration. "This is the basis of the discussion for now," emphasized Woidke. "It doesn't help us at all if new proposals are made every day that have not been agreed with anyone and that have not been discussed."
The success of the border controls in reducing illegal entries has led to a significant decrease in apprehensions, as stated by Minister President Woidke. Nevertheless, to address the disadvantages for the border region, there should be negotiations to conduct the controls on Polish territory.
Source: www.dpa.com
