German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has ordered the resumption of passport controls at all land borders. The government wants to significantly reduce the number of people entering the country without a visa, government sources explained to the DPA news agency. According to these sources, Faeser has also informed the European Commission.
The aim of border controls is to limit illegal migration, but also to tackle the threat of Islamist terror and cross-border crime.
All of Germany’s neighbouring countries are part of the Schengen area, where it is normally possible to travel without border controls. But in October last year, Germany already resumed some controls along the borders with Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, in order to discourage migration flows into Germany.
Such checks are officially temporary, but have been extended several times by Berlin. At some border crossings with Austria, temporary checks have been in place since September 2015.
Entry ban
The German government, which consists of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals, has expanded its migration plans in line with EU law, government sources said. The Christian Democratic opposition bloc CDU/CSU has long pushed for such steps.
Berlin is not providing any more details about the proposal for the time being. At present, asylum seekers are only refused entry at German borders in certain limited cases, such as when someone has an entry ban or chooses not to apply for asylum