Germany to extend temporary controls to all land borders in response to ‘irregular migration’ – Europe live

Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, announced on Monday that the country will extend temporary controls to all German land borders in what she describes as a response to irregular migration and to protect the country from extremist threats.

The interior ministry said that it notified Brussels of the order to set up border controls at the land borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark for a period of six months, the Associated Press reported.

The controls will begin on 16 September, and come in addition to restrictions already in place on Germany’s land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland.

Faeser said:

We are strengthening our internal security through concrete action and we are continuing our tough stance against irregular migration.

The minister also said:

Until we achieve strong protection of the EU’s external borders with the new Common European Asylum System, we must increase controls at our national borders even more.

The move comes after a deadly knife attack in Soligen killed three people last month and after police in Munich exchange fire with a gunman near the Israeli consulate last week.

It also comes amid growing political pressure on the German coalition government, after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland won a state election in Thuringia this month.