The German government has announced that it will extend tight controls on the country’s land borders for another six months. The EU has warned that extra border restrictions should remain an exception in the Schengen Area.

German police extend regular border checks

From September 16, 2024, German police will impose more regular border checks on cars, buses and trains between the federal republic, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Regular checks along the German borders with Austria have been in place since 2015 and with Poland, Czechia and Switzerland since October 2023. 

This summer extra security patrols were also in place while the Euro 2024 tournament was held across 10 German cities and Paris hosted the Olympics.

Now, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has said that the country will continue imposing regular border checks to “protect against the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime”. 

Potential terror threats have been a high-agenda topic for the governing Ampelkoalition since the Solingen knife attack, during which three people were killed and eight seriously wounded at the “Festival of Diversity”.

While regular checks are in place, taking your passport and residence permit is advisable if you are crossing the German border.

EU warns German border checks must remain an exception

Under EU law, police services can turn away travellers at a national border if they cannot provide sufficient identification or are thought to be entering the country illegally.

However, since Germany is in the Schengen Area, checks must be temporary. As such, a spokesperson representing the European Union has warned Germany, and other countries in the bloc, that tightened “necessary and proportionate” border controls must remain an “exceptional” measure to protect against “a serious threat”. 

Germany’s decision to increase and extend checks has also ruffled feathers in neighbouring countries. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the extension “unacceptable” and urged European countries to cooperate with each other. 

“Rather than greater controls of our border, Poland needs greater participation of countries, including Germany, in guarding and securing the European Union's external borders," Tusk responded.

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