Germany's expansion of border controls puts European unity to the test

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The German government is taking tougher measures against illegal migration and crime following recent extremist attacks and plans to impose temporary border controls at all nine Polish borders next week.

Last month a deadly Knife attack by a Syrian asylum seeker in Soligen killed three people. The perpetrator claimed to have been inspired by the terrorist militia “Islamic State”. In June Knife attack by an Afghan immigrant One police officer was killed and four other people injured.

The border closures are set to last for six months and threaten to test Europe's unity. Most of Germany's neighbours are members of the European Union, a bloc of 27 countries founded on the principles of free trade and travel. And Germany – the EU's economic engine at the heart of Europe – has more borders with other countries than any other member state.

The Polish prime minister described the closures on Tuesday as “unacceptable” and Austria said it would not accept any migrants rejected by Germany.

Here's a look at some of the problems:

How are Europeans currently traveling?

The EU bloc has a visa-free travel area called Schengen, which allows citizens of most EU countries to travel across borders easily, whether for business or pleasure. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are also part of the Schengen area, although they are not EU members.

According to the EU, member states may temporarily reintroduce controls at the EU's so-called internal borders in the event of a serious threat, such as to internal security. However, it also states that border controls should only be used as a last resort in exceptional situations and must be time-limited.

Such restrictions often occur at major sporting events, such as the Olympic Games in Paris and the European Football Championship this summer.

What is Germany doing now?

Nine countries border Germany and all are part of the Schengen area. Germany already imposed restrictions on its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland last year.

The German Interior Ministry ordered on Monday an expansion of controls at these borders as well as at the borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the aim was to curb irregular migration and protect the country from “the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime”.

Growing backlash against migration

The government and many Germans welcomed refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere in 2015 and 2016. In total, over a million asylum seekers entered the country during this period.

But as large-scale migration to Europe continues almost a decade later, a backlash fuels the Growth of right-wing extremist parties.

Some say social services are overwhelmed and extremist attacks by asylum seekers have raised security concerns. All of this has led to growing support for stricter immigration policies – and in some cases support for the far-right parties that support such restrictions.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's unpopular coalition government is trying to combat illegal immigration after the far-right won two state elections in eastern Germany. Another election will take place on September 22 in Brandenburg, the state that borders Berlin.

Economic concerns

As the EU's largest economy, Germany is an important trading partner for its neighbouring countries. The Interior Ministry's announcement has sparked economic concerns among the main Dutch transport lobby group, the Dutch Association for Transport and Logistics, which said the decision undermines the Schengen principle of free trade and fears major economic damage.

Domestically, the German logistics and freight association DSLV pushed for a selective approach that would spare trucks transporting goods across borders – similar to the checks used during the European football championships. These checks prevented economic disruption because officials focused on individuals rather than trucks, the association said.

Dirk Jandura, president of the Federal Association of Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services, told The Associated Press that restrictions on the free movement of people “always mean delays and thus cost increases for the economy and especially for wholesale and foreign trade.”

He added: “But if migration policy findings require restrictive measures, then that is understandable. It is important to us to implement the measures with discretion.”

Political implications

The ruling conservative government in Austria – which is facing a tough race against the far-right party in an election this month – declared that they would not accept refugees who were rejected from Germany.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told journalists that Germany has the right to send people back if another EU country is responsible for their asylum application. However, this requires a formal procedure and the consent of the member state concerned.

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called Germany's plan “unacceptable” and called for urgent consultations with all countries concerned. Poland has been battling a migration crisis on its border with Belarus since 2021. Warsaw accuses Belarus and Russia of luring migrants from the Middle East and Africa there in order to destabilize the West.

Agnieszka Łada-Konefał, deputy director of the German Institute for Polish Affairs, said that the random checks at the German-Polish border were causing traffic jams, making it difficult for people to cross the border to work and discouraging Germans from shopping in Poland. Poles also argue that Germany initially introduced a policy of opening up to refugees but is now pushing them back to Poland.

“Due to the negative perception of the influx of migrants in Poland, any report on the return of migrants by Germany also has a negative impact on Polish-German relations and Germany’s image in Poland,” Łada-Konefał told AP.

But in the Netherlands, where the anti-immigration Party for Freedom won last year's elections, the Minister for Asylum and Migration also promised to strengthen Dutch border controls.

Slovenia, Austria and Italy In addition, they have implemented temporary border controls in some areas or along their entire borders.

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Associated Press writers Mike Corder in Amsterdam, David McHugh in Frankfurt and Philipp Jenne in Vienna contributed to this report.

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