Germany extends border checks with neighbours to tackle smuggling
"Stationary checks at the German borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland will be extended for another six months," announced the Ministry of the Interior in Berlin. The department noted that it had informed the European Commission of its decision.
The decision to extend border checks until December 15—currently in effect until June 15—was justified by the need to combat human smuggling and limit illegal migration.
The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, initially expressed skepticism towards the appeal of some federal states for permanent checks at these borders. However, she ultimately ordered checks in mid-October 2023, and since then they have been extended.
- Since mid-October 2023, the police have detained around 920 human smugglers as part of the current checks at the internal borders, including the border with Austria, Faeser said on Wednesday, quoted by the newspaper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung".
Germany: checks at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Austria
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the German police detected approximately 37,600 illegal entries at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Austria since October 16. They took measures to prevent entry or terminate residence in about 23,000 cases. The number of unauthorized entries detected nationwide dropped from around 21,000 in September of the previous year to around 7,500 in April this year.
Checks at the German-Austrian land border have been in place since the autumn of 2015 and will continue until November 11.
Random checks will also be conducted at all sections of the German border during the European Football Championship in Germany.
