Germany extends land border checks, including with Poland
Berlin has extended its temporary stringent border controls at all land borders of the country, including those with Poland, for an additional six months, explaining it as an attempt to reduce illegal migration and enhance domestic security.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Wednesday that border controls would halt human trafficking. "We are also stopping criminals and extremists," she added.
The announcement follows Berlin's initial move in October 2023, when Germany suspended the Schengen Agreement, which ensures check-free travel, at its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. In September last year, the list included all country's land borders over concerns about cross-border crime and the threat of Islamist terrorism.
This decision, which introduced internal border checks, has been extended multiple times. Similar measures have been in place at the Austrian-German border since 2015, following Europe's refugee crisis.
In recent months, Berlin has reported over 80,000 illegal border crossings and has detained approximately 1,900 human traffickers, according to the country's interior ministry data. (PAP)
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