BERLIN – Germany has reintroduced on Monday border checks across all of its borders for six months, endeavouring to address illegal immigration and cross-border crime.
Additional mobile and stationary police checks have now been mobilised at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland, extending to the borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark.
Such internal border controls are generally prohibited within the Schengen Area; however, they can be implemented for up to six months in deterrence of threats to public order and security.
Critics argue that Germany’s reintroduced border controls threaten the EU’s principle of free movement and could undermine solidarity within the bloc. Additionally, experts warn that the selective “smart controls” might lead to racial profiling, particularly targeting people of colour. Therefore, the European Commission reminded that measures of this type “must remain strictly exceptional.”
Accordingly, the German interior ministry reiterated on Monday that racially motivated police actions are unacceptable and unlawful.
