The European Commission is urgently calling on Germany and other member states to gradually reduce their national border controls. Brunner told the Funke media group newspapers that, according to the Commission, scaling back these checks in the nine countries where they are currently operating is both feasible and appropriate-a stance he also applies to Germany. He noted that this shift is warranted because asylum numbers have drastically decreased, and measures such as external border protection and a unified EU entry-exit system have been put into place. Furthermore, controls are already being handled with increasing flexibility in many areas, which Brunner described as “steps in the right direction.”
The reform of the common European asylum system is set to come into force next Friday after years of negotiations. However, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), who authorized stricter border checks at Germany’s state borders immediately following the black-red coalition government’s inauguration in spring 2025, intends to maintain these enhanced controls for the time being.
Under normal circumstances within the European Schengen area, travel is free of routine border checks. Nonetheless, besides Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Sweden are currently conducting temporary border inspections. It must be noted that while the EU Commission can issue recommendations, ultimate decision-making authority rests with the national governments involved.
