The decision of Germany to further tighten the border controlswhich include turning away migrants, has caused mixed reactions among neighbouring countries.
The new German government took office on May 6. One of the main and first tasks announced by the country’s new Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is related to checks at the country’s borders and migration.
Luxembourg is not very happy with the plans of Germany to strengthen border controls and migration policies. On the other hand, Austria has expressed careful support for the new German government’s plans, Schengen.News reports.
Luxembourg Criticises Push for Tighter Border Checks
Commenting on the matter, Luxembourg is very critical of the tightening of border controls. As Info Migrants explains, the Interior Minister of Luxembourg, Léon Gloden, said that the member states must avoid creating borders in the minds of people again, calling for unrestricted travel.
The same stressed that border controls cause unnecessary cross-border traffic disruptions and negatively impact the lives of people.
We must avoid creating borders in people’s minds again. Schengen must live! Unnecessary disruptions to cross-border traffic must be avoided, in the interest of the daily lives of the people in the Greater region.
Minister Gloden also previously considered the border controls of Germany as “ineffective and harmful”while stressing that these checks are mostly tokenism.
Almost 50 per cent of Luxembourg’s population are foreigners, with the majority of them being nationals of another EU member state.
Data show that more than 200,000 employees commuted to Luxembourg every day from Belgium, France, or Germany in 2019. This means that the tightened border controls will especially affect those crossing the border for work purposes.
Concerned about the situation, Luxembourg has already sent a letter of complaint to the EU Commission. There is also an increased pressure by the largest opposition party, LSAP, to take Germant to the European Court of Justice over the decision to extend border controls.
Austria Shows Support for Germany’s Plans
Differently from Luxembourg, Austria has voiced support for the plans of the new German government to tighten controls and asylum policy.
The Austrian Chancellor, Christian Stocker, congratulated Merz on his election as the new German chancellor, while saying that he looks forward to working together.
Congratulations, dear Friedrich Merz, on your election as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. A shared border also means shared responsibility – I look forward to friendly cooperation between us and our governments.
Through the new measures, the aim of Germany is to put an end to irregular migration while maintaining commitments under EU law. The extension and expansion of the measure means that individuals who want to apply for interactional protection upon their arrival in Germany from another member state could be denied entry.