Border controls extended: Greens see European law violated

The decision by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) to continue controls at German borders until at least September has been met with criticism from the Saxon Greens. "The federal government is sacrificing freedom of movement for its security rhetoric and is also overburdening the federal police," said Anna Cavazzini, MEP for Chemnitz, in a statement. "The EU Commission must finally take a clear stance against systematic violations of European law."

Cavazzini criticized the controls as a burden for commuters and businesses in the border regions. Between Görlitz and Zgorzelec, the obstacles can be felt in everyday life. The MEP therefore supported the complaint of a man from the region who is defending himself against the controls before the Dresden Administrative Court. According to the Greens, he considers the repeatedly extended controls to be inadmissible and unlawful. Cavazzini described the lawsuit as an important step "to defend civil rights".

Border controls extended until at least September

According to his ministry, Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) had previously informed the EU Commission that the temporarily reintroduced and later extended internal border controls at Germany's land borders would be extended beyond March 15 for an initial further six months.

"These border controls are still necessary for reasons of migration and security policy," a spokesperson said. Bild had first reported on the planned extension of the controls. According to his ministry, Dobrindt said: "Border controls are an element of our reorganization of migration policy in Germany."

Internal border controls gradually extended

Border controls are not actually planned in the Schengen area. There have been stationary controls at the border with Austria since 2015. In October 2023, the then Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser (SPD), also ordered such controls for the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. Since September 2024, the federal police have also been carrying out checks at the borders with Denmark, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Dobrindt has extended and intensified these temporary checks, which must be notified to the European Commission. After taking office in May, he also decreed that people who want to apply for asylum in Germany should also be turned back at the internal borders. However, there are exceptions, such as for pregnant women, unaccompanied minors and sick people.