SPDS Klingbeil pushes for extended border checks post-Euro 2024

The leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) supports maintaining random checks at the border with neighbouring countries, including Poland. The checks were recently implemented in connection with Euro 2024. The SPD leader wants these checks to continue even after the tournament.

As the Polish government website, gov.pl, reported on 13 June, due to the start of the European Football Championship on 14 June 2024, the federal police are conducting random checks on all German borders. Travellers from other Schengen countries may also be checked at airports and ports.

Now Lars Klingbeil, the SPD leader, has expressed support for extending border checks after Euro 2024, aiming to curb illegal migration and stop smugglers. In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, he emphasised the need to maintain controls at Germany's external borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland. His position aligns with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser's assessment.

We will continue to act at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland to stop smugglers and curb illegal migration. This will also be the case after the Euro - said Klingbeil.

According to aussiedlerbote.de, during border checks between 7 June and 13 June, approximately 1,400 illegal border crossings were detected. Due to high migration numbers and numerous smuggling cases, border checks on Germany's land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland have been maintained for months.

Recent days have also seen reports about migrants being transported to Poland by German authorities without the assistance of Polish services. The most notable case of migrant pushback occurred on 14 June in Osinów Dolny, where German police left a family of five Afghans who were denied entry to Germany.

Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced on Thursday on Radio Zet that he received an apology for this from German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. Apologies from the German side were also directed to the Polish Border Guard and Police.

We have created a joint Polish-German group led by deputy ministers, such a hotline, and we expect from this moment on that something like this will never happen again - said the Interior Minister on Radio ZET.

When asked about reinstating checks, he noted that for now, they will not be introduced, but it is not ruled out. He added that introducing checks by Poland would be a huge cost.

Here we are weighing our interests and what is in the interest of Polish citizens. We consider German checks to be bad. We demand that Germany does not conduct these checks. I have seen these queues at the border with my own eyes. I proposed to the German side to discuss ways for people who commute to work in Germany, people who live nearby, to avoid standing in long queues. We want to work on this with the German side - added Siemoniak.