German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to maintain existing border controls with several neighboring countries “as long as possible.” They have proven to be “very efficient,” Scholz said. That stance is causing significant tensions within Germany’s coalition of SPD, FDP and Greens.
Since mid-October last year, the border police have been conducting selective checks at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. In September 2015, they already introduced checks at the German-Austrian border. The number of migrants entering the country illegally has fallen recently, but those who want to apply for asylum are usually allowed to enter the country.
The Greens stress that these checks are against the Schengen Treaty, which guarantees free movement within the EU. The party has even called on the European Commission to intervene and put an end to the checks.
Despite the criticism, the other major coalition partner, the SPD, has spoken out in favor of maintaining border controls, albeit in the form of random checks. The party sees the checks as a necessary means of ensuring security in the country, especially in light of increased migration pressure and the recent terrorist threat. The FDP has so far supported the extension of the checks.
Not only in Germany itself, but also in neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands, there are calls for stricter border controls. In the Netherlands, the recently installed far-right four-party coalition of PVV leader Geert Wilders has decided to significantly expand the already existing temporary controls.
The presence of several million asylum seekers and refugees in Germany remains a highly controversial topic in German politics and society. This debate has been further fueled by the recent terrorist attack in Solingen, in which three people were stabbed to death. The suspected perpetrator is a 26-year-old Syrian, whose asylum application had recently been rejected. The man was due to be deported soon.
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) called on the governing coalition of SPD, FDP and Greens to completely stop taking in refugees from Syria and Afghanistan. He called for stricter measures to control the influx of migrants. Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded by stressing that the individual right to asylum “remains intact”, and that Germany will comply with its international obligations.