hot questions and answers | will germany's reopening of land border checks trigger a chain reaction?
2024-09-16
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germany has implemented passport or identity document checks at border crossings with france, luxembourg, the netherlands and other countries since the 16th, and may deny entry to some of the people being checked. the measure is tentatively scheduled to be implemented for 6 months. why is germany tightening border control? how do neighboring countries react? does germany's move mean the end of the schengen agreement?
why germany is strengthening border controls
the german government said the measure was implemented to limit irregular immigration, address potential terrorist threats and cross-border crime, and to protect germany's security.
germany has recently seen a number of violent crimes related to immigration. on august 23, a knife attack occurred at the 650th anniversary celebration of the founding of the city of solingen in north rhine-westphalia, killing three people and injuring many others. the suspect was an immigrant from syria. german chancellor scholz called the incident "terrorism against all of us" and said that germany must continue to work hard to reduce irregular immigration and strictly implement the deportation procedures for irregular immigrants.
germany has previously implemented temporary control measures in some border areas. the german ministry of the interior and land said that since october last year, more than 30,000 people have been denied entry into germany during checks at border crossings with austria, the czech republic, poland and switzerland.
analysts believe that germany's tightening of border controls is also due to domestic political considerations. on the one hand, the total support rate of the german ruling coalition led by scholz is less than 30%. with less than a year to go before the german federal election next year, the ruling coalition is facing increasing pressure. on the other hand, earlier this month, the far-right party alternative for germany won the thuringia state parliamentary election with its conservative slogans on issues such as immigration. in the state of brandenburg, where elections are about to be held, immigration is also one of the issues that voters are most concerned about.
a poll by germany's die welt showed that about 44% of respondents said that "illegal immigration and refugees are the most pressing problems facing germany" and about 77% said that "germany needs to change its asylum policy."
how neighbouring countries reacted
after germany announced the restoration of border control, neighboring countries had different attitudes, and poland's attitude was particularly strong among the opponents. polish prime minister donald tusk said at a meeting of polish ambassadors abroad that germany's move means that free movement between schengen countries will be suspended on a large scale. this approach of opening the door to everyone and then suddenly closing the door is going from one extreme to another and is not desirable. tusk called for urgent consultations within the eu on this issue.
in june this year, germany deported a group of irregular immigrants who entered from poland to poland without poland's consent, which aroused the dissatisfaction of poland. tusk previously said that germany's actions were "unacceptable". if the german government finally decides to restore land border control, it means that a large number of refugees trying to enter germany from poland will be stranded in poland, and "a serious political dispute will inevitably arise" between the two countries.
austria has also been troubled by irregular immigration in recent years. currently, austria has set up checkpoints on its borders with slovakia, the czech republic, slovenia and hungary. in addition, the austrian national assembly election will be held at the end of this month, and irregular immigration and refugee issues are also one of the issues that voters are most concerned about.
austrian prime minister nehammer welcomed germany's move on the 11th and supported germany's adoption of border control and expulsion measures similar to austria's. however, austrian interior minister kanna told the media that austria will not accept people who are refused entry and repatriated by germany at the austria-germany border.
the leaders of two of the four-party dutch coalition said the dutch government should follow germany's lead and tighten border controls, with liberal party leader wilders calling on the government to move quickly to implement similar measures.
will the schengen agreement come to an end?
according to the schengen agreement, people and goods can freely move between schengen countries. as a geographical and economic hub in europe bordering nine countries, after germany announced the tightening of border control measures, pessimistic views emerged in europe that "the schengen agreement is coming to an end", fearing that this move would have a negative impact on trade, personnel exchanges, etc., and threaten regional economic growth.
france's l'echo reported that germany's move may cause concern among its neighbors, with some countries worried about a "domino effect." restoring border controls could undermine the free flow of people and goods that has been in place for many years.
alberto-horst neidhart, a senior policy analyst at the european policy center, believes that countries such as france and the netherlands may follow germany's example, and that "real politics, short-termism and national interests will sweep the eu and national political agenda."
the netherlands transport and logistics industry association is concerned that germany's move could have a negative impact on trade, pointing out that similar measures have had serious impacts on supply chains during the epidemic and major events.
liu chen, assistant researcher at the china institutes of contemporary international relations, believes that germany's move is not in line with the principle of free movement in the schengen area, but it is too early to judge whether schengen will end, and further observation is needed on the specific development of the situation.
