Germany has decided to extend its internal border controls with Czechia, Poland, and Switzerland for another six months, until December 15, 2024.
However, taking into account the current situation and in an attempt to combat people smuggling and limit irregular migration to the country, Germany has decided to prolong the measure until the end of the year, SchengenNews reports.
We are continuing controls at our land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland for a further six months until mid-December 2024.
Border Controls Will Not Impact Commuters & Everyday Life, Minister Faeser Assures
Commenting on the extension of the border controls, Minister Faeser said that the measure has proven to be effective so far.
She further assured that commuters who cross the border regularly would not be impacted by the extension of the measure as the authorities would continue to coordinate the measures with the neighbouring countries.
It is still particularly important to us to keep the impact on commuters and everyday life in the border regions as low as possible.
Minister Faeser also revealed that since mid-October of last year, the Federal Police had arrested 920 people smugglers as part of the border controls with Czechia, Poland, and Switzerland as well as Austria.
In addition to the above-mentioned countries, Germany currently has internal border controls in place with Austria, too.
The land border controls with Austria will continue to apply until November 11, 2024. Nonetheless, if the situation continues to remain the same or worsens, the country might decide also to extend border controls with Austria.
Germany Detected 37,600 Irregular Entries Since Mid-October 2023
The extension of the current measure comes after it was proven that border controls help detect people who are not authorised to enter the country.
Data show that Germany detected around 37,600 irregular entries since October 16, 2023. In the same period, the country also denied entry or terminated the stay of around 23,000 people.
In addition, the number of irregular entries detected in the entire territory of Germany has dropped from 21,000 in September 2023 to 7,500 in April of this year.
During the time that the internal border controls are in place, German authorities will forward those seeking protection to their initial reception centre until their request is examined.
