BERLIN/PRAGUE/WARSAW, Sept 11 (Askume) – Germany this week planned to tighten controls at all land borders and send back more refugees in a bid to reduce irregular migration, reversing its previously announced open-door policy.
Germany is located in the centre of Europe and borders nine countries. These plans are a blow to free movement within the EU, a pillar of the European project, and could undermine regional solidarity.
Here are more details about the plans, their motivations, and reactions to them:
What did Germany announce?
Germany announced on Monday that it would impose temporary controls on all its land borders.
Controls across the broad zone of freedom of movement – Europe’s Schengen area – will begin on September 16 and initially last for six months.
On Tuesday, it announced proposals to tighten enforcement of EU asylum rules , including detaining asylum seekers until authorities determine Germany is qualified to handle their cases.
Police can do this with tools such as Eurodac, the European shared fingerprint database.
The government has rejected a measure called by the opposition Conservatives to automatically send back asylum seekers at the border, which it and others say violates EU law.
Why now?
While irregular migration puts pressure on public services, analysts say the plans may be politically motivated in an attempt to gain support from the right-wing opposition and conservatives ahead of state and federal elections.
Polls show immigration is the top issue for voters in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, where elections are due in ten days and Prime Minister Olaf Scholz’s left-wing Social Democrats (SPD) are fighting to retain power.
The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which earlier this month became the first right-wing party to win a state election in Thuringia since World War II , is the frontrunner in the polls.
The suspect in a recent deadly knife attack was a refugee, raising concerns about immigration. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a knife attack in the western city of Solingen in August that killed three people.
What impact will this have on travel to the EU?
Travelers may face more random checks on cars, trains or buses in transit, causing some traffic delays and congestion. However, this is already happening across Europe, with Germany being the latest in a series of countries reintroducing border controls.
If a person is found to be entering Germany illegally, he or she may be refused entry, or detained at or near the border if he or she claims to be seeking asylum in the country.
“I don’t think Schengen will disappear, but the functional space for free movement will be reduced,” said Markus Engler of the German Center for Integration and Migration Studies.
How did other countries respond?
Some neighbouring countries expressed dismay at the news, which may lead them to accept more refugees themselves.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday called for urgent consultations with other affected countries and to boost support for Warsaw’s own immigration policies.
He said Poland did not need to tighten controls on its border with Germany but needed more cooperation from Berlin and other countries to secure the EU’s external borders.
However, others are more optimistic because Germany already controls parts of its borders. For example, Czech Interior Minister Vitra Kusen said she does not expect any major changes because inspections will be random.
Both Poland and the Czech Republic already have detention centres for migrants who do not have the necessary travel documents or whose asylum claims are under investigation.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has long called on Europe to do more to stop irregular migration, welcomed the move:
“Scholz, welcome to the club! #StopMigration,” he said on X.
Trends in asylum applications
The EU received more than 1.14 million asylum applications in 2023, the highest number since the 2016 migration crisis, according to the European Union Asylum Agency (EUA) .
However, applications have declined in recent months, with applications in May falling by a third compared to last fall.
Germany received the most asylum applications, representing 22% of the total, while Ireland received the most applications per capita.
what happens next?
Berlin still needs to discuss its plan to detain refugees at its borders with Germany’s 16 regional governments, which would have to implement the plan. It also said it wanted to consult with European partners, whose cooperation would be needed if it wanted to send refugees back.
However, it has informed the European Commission of its decision and border controls could be implemented immediately.
