Germany warns Schengen Zone will be ‘in danger’ if the EU cannot protect its external frontiers as Berlin imposes new border controls with Poland and Czech Republic after migrant influx

Germany has warned that the Schengen zone will be ‘in danger’ if the EU cannot protect its external borders, as Berlin imposes new controls on its borders with Poland and the Czech Republic following an influx of migrants.

Germany saw the number of first asylum applications rise by 78% in the first seven months of 2023, according to official data. In August, the number of registered illegal border crossings into Germany reached 14,701, an increase of 66% compared to the same month last year, police data show.

The new checks will lead to an increase in police action along ‘smuggling routes’ and would start immediately, a Berlin official said today.

Announcing the new measures on Wednesday, Germany’s interior minister said more must be done to protect the European Union’s fragile system of open borders.

“If we fail to better protect the external borders… then the open borders within the EU are in danger,” Nancy Faeser told reporters in Berlin.

She said the focus of the new measures would be on people smugglers, which she said facilitated the passage of a quarter of migrants entering Germany.

“We want to prevent evasive movements of smugglers through flexible and mobile controls at varying locations,” she said, adding that the measures would be initiated in consultation with Poland and the Czech Republic.

The announcement came a day after police raids in Germany found more than 100 Syrian citizens living in apartments raided in connection with a smuggling ring.

Faeser did not provide details on how many additional border police officers would be deployed, but emphasized that no fixed border controls would be established, as Germany has been doing along the border with Austria since 2015. To introduce such controls, Germany would notify the European Commission.

She said new border controls would complement mobile police patrols that already check cars crossing the border or people trying to enter Germany on foot.

“We must put an end to the cruel trade of smugglers who endanger human lives for maximum profit,” Faeser said.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner wrote later on Wednesday on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, that his ministry would support tightened border control with additional customs officers.

“Border controls must be intensified to stop smuggling and illegal migration,” he wrote. ‘To ensure that this succeeds quickly, I have decided that Customs will support this urgent task with 500 people.’

Many migrants from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and elsewhere are trying to reach Germany to apply for asylum.

Cities and communities across Germany have sounded the alarm over the rising number of arrivals, saying they are running out of space to house them and provide nursery and school places.

As a result, migration is high on the agenda in Europe’s largest economy ahead of a series of state elections in which the far right hopes to increase its influence, starting with polls in Bavaria and Hesse on October 8.

Municipalities have called for more funding to accommodate the arrivals, pointing to limited accommodation and services reminiscent of 2015, when Germany took in more than 1 million refugees fleeing war in the Middle East.

This year, more than 220,000 people applied for asylum in Germany from January to August.

In all of 2022, approximately 240,000 people applied for asylum. These figures are still a far cry from 2015-2016, when more than 1 million migrants applied for asylum in Germany.

In addition to migrants, however, Germany has also hosted more than 1 million Ukrainians who fled Russia’s brutal war against their country.

About a quarter of all migrants who reach Germany come with the help of smugglers via dangerous routes across the Mediterranean Sea and through forests along the Balkan route, Faeser said.

Normally they pay thousands of dollars to reach Germany.

But even if migrants are stopped by police at the border because they do not have valid entry documents, they can still come to Germany if they apply for asylum.

“We want to prevent evasive movements of smugglers through flexible and mobile checks at varying locations,” says Faeser.

‘At the same time, we ensure that the controls have as little impact as possible on people, commuters and commerce in daily life.’

Faeser also pointed out that “for a significant reduction in irregular migration, a joint European asylum system remains the decisive step,” which means that the EU’s external borders must be tightly controlled so that migrants cannot even reach countries like Germany, located in the center of the EU. the block.

Ahead of elections in his state, Bavaria’s conservative Prime Minister Markus Soeder proposed an upper limit for asylum seekers of 200,000 per year – a proposal rejected by Faeser.

The latest increase in numbers comes as thousands of migrants traveling by boat from North Africa have landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Two weeks ago, Germany said it would suspend an agreement with Italy to take in some of the migrants, arguing that Rome was not adhering to long-controversial rules that dictated asylum claims must be processed in the EU country. first arrival.

Faeser withdrew that decision within days in light of the developing crisis in Lampedusa.

The surge in arrivals has also raised tensions with Germany’s neighbor Poland, which said it could introduce border controls.

Warsaw began carrying out checks on some vehicles crossing the Slovak border on Tuesday, weeks before its own national elections, suspecting they could be carrying illegal migrants.

This week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz over the weekend to complain about Berlin’s funding of charity projects to help migrants both at sea and on land in Italy.

‘I have learned with surprise that your government – without coordinating with the Italian government – has reportedly decided to support with substantial funds non-governmental organizations engaged in the reception of irregular migrants on Italian territory and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea,” Meloni wrote. .

The right-wing Meloni is taking a hard line against illegal immigration, but Italy has seen a sharp increase in the number of migrants this year, with around 133,000 arriving so far, compared to around 69,800 in the same period in 2022.

Rome blames NGO boats carrying out rescue missions in the central Mediterranean – the world’s deadliest migrant crossing – for encouraging arrivals from North Africa.

As part of its efforts, Meloni’s government has sought to restrict the activities of charity rescue ships operating in the central Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migrant crossing, drawing the ire of others within the EU.