Berlin (dpa) – Germany will impose temporary border controls along its border with France in the runup to the Olympic Games in Paris starting on July 26, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced in Berlin on Sunday.
The move is being undertaken in cooperation with the French authorities with the aim of providing greater security to the Olympics, which end on August 11. The European Commission is to be notified about the measures shortly.
Germany and all its immediate neighbours are members of the Schengen Area, which guarantees free movement across most borders within the European Union. Under European law, countries in the Schengen Area may only reintroduce border checks if there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security.
Checks introduced along the borders to Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, imposed during the European Football Championships which concluded last Sunday, will be lifted on Friday. Checks will then revert to dragnet controls with targeted checks, as in the past.
Border controls continue to be in place along Germany’s borders with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland with the aim of countering irregular migration and combating human trafficking.
Faeser rejected calls from German opposition parties and from the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), a junior member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition, for retaining stricter controls along all borders. This would have serious consequences for commuters, travellers and business, the interior minister said. It would also need to be justified under European law. (14 July)
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