Czech Republic and Germany to Jointly Combat Illegal Migration at the Border
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser intends to temporarily reinstate permanent border controls at the borders with the Czech Republic and Poland due to the complex migration situation. As reported by Welt, she mentioned this in an interview with Welt am Sonntag.
"Such additional control should work effectively in overseeing the entire border territory," she stated.
This decision is supported by Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, according to České noviny.
"Due to the deteriorating situation on the Balkan migration route, German and Czech police will now intensively cooperate in combating smugglers. All further actions, including possible checks at individual crossing points, will be coordinated by both states," he said.
Negotiations with Poland are currently underway.
In recent months, Germany has faced an increasing number of migrants arriving in the country through Poland and the Czech Republic without the necessary documents. Several regional politicians are demanding the reinstatement of permanent border controls at the Czech and Polish borders.
To achieve this, Germany has already increased the presence of federal police at the Polish and Czech borders. The country also aims to station federal police officers on Czech territory.
"But it should not be assumed that asylum seekers will stop coming as soon as stationary border controls are in place," emphasized the German Interior Minister.
"We already have excellent cooperation with Switzerland. In close coordination with the Swiss police, federal police officers are also allowed to control Swiss territory and prevent unauthorized entry," she added.
Nancy Faeser promises that the new measures will significantly increase the pressure on smugglers and make the fight against illegal migration more effective.
According to some estimates, up to 400,000 asylum seekers could arrive in Germany this year.
Due to the worsening migration situation, some federal states, including Saxony, are demanding the reinstatement of border controls with the Czech Republic, Poland, and Switzerland, following the model of the permanent control that Germany has been implementing at the Austrian border since 2015.
In October, elections are taking place in the German states of Hesse and Bavaria, where migration and border control are significant issues.