German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Thursday rejected an European Commission request to drop internal border checks, emphasizing their continued necessity to fight illegal migration despite the commission’s claims.
Presently, Germany is one of several European Union members that have active internal border checks to fight against uncontrolled illegal migration, terrorist threats, and other risks to their national security. Germany’s current controls have been active since 2024.
Speaking to reporters at a meeting of E.U. Interior Ministers in Luxembourg, Germany’s Dobrindt rejected doing away with his nation’s border checks, reaffirming their efficiency, results, and necessary existence to keep curbing illegal migration.
“The significant number of pushback, illegal migration, the seizure of smuggling gangs, all of this shows how effective these border roles are and that is why we want to continue them,” Dobrindt said, per Euronews.
“We are always flexible, always talking, always adaptable. But yes, we want to further develop border controls, but we will also need these border controls further,” he continued.
Furthermore, in addition to defending Germany’s inner border checks, Dobrindt called for increased action to “significantly improve” the protection of the European Union’s external borders.
“The migration turnaround is working in Germany and it is also working at European level, and we are firmly determined that we will continue along this path consistently with our neighboring countries and partner countries,” he added.
The European Commission argued this week that the internal border checks maintained by Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, and non-E.U. member Norway are are no longer needed and should be phased out in light of E.U. lawmakers’ recent approval of new migration policies that call for the construction of deportation centers outside E.U. borders. The Commission did not issue similar calls to Poland, who also maintains its own internal border checks.
Poland’s state news agency PAP reports that Germany’s neighbor Poland is willing to discuss a gradual reduction of border controls. Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk emphasized to PAP that a reduction “would not be easy” as it is a strongly politicized subject — noting, “It is much easier to introduce border checks than to give them up.”
“All the member states that have spoken today have strongly emphasized that the functioning of the Schengen Area is one of the E.U.’s most important tasks,” Duszczyk said, per PAP. “The absence of border controls is one of the core values most highly appreciated by the public across the E.U.”
Duszczyk acknowledged that Poland maintains border controls on its shared borders with Germany and Lithuania — however, the minister affirmed that Poland’s control, unlike Germany’s, are “in line with the Schengen code” and related to the threat of migratory pressure coming from Belarus and Russia.
“We have done a great deal to seal the border with Belarus, so the migration route through Belarus is practically closed,” Duszczyk said.
Per Politico, Luxembourg lodged a complaint against neighbor Germany’s border checks last year. Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden reportedly welcome the European Commission’s pressure towards lifting border controls, lamenting that the move came “nine months late” and that countries have not given a clear deadline towards lifting said controls.