Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) intends to extend the controls at Germany’s external borders for another six months. According to reports from the publication “Bild,” Dobrindt submitted the necessary request to the EU Commission on Tuesday. If the EU Commission does not object, the border checks will automatically be extended for six months beyond September 15th.
Dobrindt stated to the newspaper that the recent developments observed at the European external borders demonstrate that continued control is necessary to curb illegal migration.
This move comes despite recent calls for easing measures. Back in June, EU Interior Commissioner Magnus Brunner had urged newspapers in the Funke media group for a gradual reduction of border controls. Furthermore, SPD Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig spoke out against the extension of these controls, arguing that they would become unnecessary in the future with the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (GEAS).
