EU Officials Urge Prolonged Border Controls Amid Rising Migrant Numbers
In the face of the European Commission’s forecast of a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers this year, European Union politicians are calling for the continuation of stricter border controls and rejections at the borders, contrary to the initial plan.
Hesse’s Minister-President, Boris Rhein, emphasized the need to maintain the “control pressure at the German borders as long as the migration pressure persists.” This is particularly crucial, he added, if irregular migration were to increase in the near future.
Alexander Throm, the CDU’s parliamentary group’s interior policy spokesperson, concurred, stating that “border controls, including rejections, must continue indefinitely.” The coalition agreement had stipulated that border controls would be maintained until the Dublin regulations or their successor were fulfilled in the EU.
Bayern’s Minister-President, Markus Söder, also expects enhanced border controls, including rejections, to be necessary “over a longer period of time.” He argued that smugglers and human traffickers would not disappear overnight and that the EU must make its border protection more efficient. Söder called for the expansion of Frontex and the organization of joint patrols in the Mediterranean.
Söder defended the measures of the German government against illegal migration against criticism, stating that the border controls sent an important signal. “The law and order philosophy is now being implemented again, as it was before 2015. There will be no more border openings with the possibility of uncontrolled immigration. Since the first day of the new government, the rule of law has been the guiding principle again.” He added that ten years of all interior ministers failing to effectively address the issue of illegal migration had come to an end and a new approach was needed.
While Söder believes that measures at the borders are not sufficient to curb illegal migration, he thinks a “combination of stationary border controls and an intensified pursuit of smugglers behind the borders” is necessary. He emphasized that Bayern had been successful in its efforts, with over 120,000 pursuit operations since the introduction of the Bavarian Border Police six years ago. He encouraged other federal states to follow suit and build a “protective wall” and also called for the federal police to receive more personnel, not just for the borders, but also for train stations and airports.