Germany has announced an extension of temporary border controls to all German land borders in response to irregular migration and extremist threats. The controls will be in place at borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark for six months starting on September 16. This decision comes after recent security incidents, including a knife attack in Soligen and a shooting near the Israeli consulate in Munich. The German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, emphasized the need to strengthen internal security and combat irregular migration until strong protection of the EU’s external borders can be achieved with the new Common European Asylum System. The move has received support from Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders, who suggested that the Netherlands should also consider similar measures.
Faeser also mentioned a new scheme that allows authorities to reject more migrants directly at German borders, although details are not yet public. Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, stated that Austria will not accept any migrants turned away by Germany. The decision to expand border controls comes amidst political pressure on the German coalition government, following a far-right party’s success in a state election. The goal of these measures is to enhance security, combat irregular migration, and protect the country from extremist threats.
Source
Photo credit www.theguardian.com
