Additional border police at Gorlitz Bahnhof, germany.
Credit: Credit: NGCHIYUI – Shutterstock
European unity is being put to the test in September with Germany ratcheting up ID checks on its borders in a bid to curb illegal migration.
German authorities are breaching Schengen rules by carrying out ‘random’ stops at mobile control points on its borders with 5 other EU states. According to the authorities, this is a temporary move initially planned for 6 months. Germany had already been asking for travel documents from those crossing the border with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland for several months.
Hungary and Italy welcome German U-turn
Meanwhile, the Hungarian government tweeted ‘Welcome to the club’ at Germany’s decision in a quip aimed at the European Commission who imposed a €200 million fine for Hungary refusing to let in more migrants wanting to apply for asylum in Europe. In August, a Hungarian minister threatened to put asylum seekers on a train to Brussels for the EC to deal with.
Polish president, Donald Tusk, slammed the German controls as ‘unacceptable’ in their contravention of the Schengen Agreement. While the Italian Undersecretary of State praised Germany’s decision, highlighting a change in mood of the German Social Democrats aligning more now with Giorgia Meloni on migration controls. Italy has been criticising EU policy on the number of asylum seekers member states are mandated to receive. Other countries, such as France, have been carrying out so-called random border checks with people entering from Spain on and off for many years, but have not announced the actions in the press.
Recent extremist attacks provoked German u-turn
Germany announced recently that it was expanding its border checks to all nine of its land borders in a bid to crack down on irregular migrants in the light of criminal action and extremist attacks blamed on asylum seekers having entered the country illegally. In one of the attacks, the accused alleged he had been inspired by the Islamic State.
The new German controls are seriously calling into question EU policy on mass migration, as well as breaking down the strength of the political standing of Germany within the bloc as previously the country had been one of the strongest advocates of mass immigration, and one of the strongest critics of countries such as Italy and Hungary for resisting EU policy on migration. Many of Germany’s critics point to them not honouring the spirit of the Schengen accord in which citizens of member countries can move freely, work live and study throughout the bloc.
