Germany extends controls at Swiss border
Published: Friday, Dec 8th 2023, 08:00
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Germany will extend controls at the Swiss border for two months beyond December 15. However, according to German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the protection of the EU's external borders remains crucial to limiting irregular migration.
At the beginning of December, Faeser initially introduced the controls until December 15. European law provides for this gradual approach. The SPD politician told the "Rheinische Post" newspaper that she was convinced of the effectiveness of border controls in the fight against people smuggling. "Our measures are working," she said. "Our fight against the unscrupulous business of people smugglers, who brutally put human lives at risk, is successful."
The stationary controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland were introduced in October. The reason for this was the significant increase in the number of refugees in Germany.
Since October 16, the German federal police have apprehended around 120 people smugglers at the three borders with the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland. "Our bundle of stationary and mobile controls is important in order to curb irregular migration to Germany and relieve the burden on our municipalities," said Faeser.
9200 unauthorized entries
Since mid-October, the federal police have detected around 9,200 unauthorized entries at the borders with the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland and have taken measures to prevent unauthorized entries and end unauthorized stays in around 4,370 cases, the minister continued. "We will continue to do everything we can to ensure that the controls have as little impact as possible on the everyday lives of commuters, on trade and on travel."
According to Faeser, the protection of the EU's external border is crucial. This requires a common European asylum system. "I have also worked hard in Brussels this week to finalize the EU legislation on this now."
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