New, intensive border controls came into force in Germany from midnight in an attempt to tackle irregular immigration, which Berlin claims are “targeted” and “smart” fixed and mobile checks.

On the first day of application of the measure, controls were thorough after they were extended to Germany’s borders with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark. It is noted that Germany had already imposed border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Austria.

Mainly large vehicles such as buses and trucks are checked, while even pedestrians with passports or identity cards are checked. The checks, although they are sampling, are nevertheless thorough.

In Kells on the border with France, the police arrested a man of Romanian origin for whom an international arrest warrant had been issued.

The Schengen Zone is in danger

Germany’s decision to install controls at its nine borders has sparked a backlash, with critics saying it would dismantle the biggest pillar of European architecture, the free movement of people and goods in the Schengen Area.

Analysts stress that given that controls will be applied to all of Germany’s borders with the country being at the heart of the EU, the measure will not only concern neighboring states, but “almost all”.

Greece will raise the issue at the Summit

Determined not to allow the migration problem facing Germany to turn into a Greek one, the government is forming a front with other European partners against the strict controls applied by Berlin on its land borders from today.

The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has already accused the Solz government of unilaterally abrogating the Schengen Treaty, while he is going to raise the issue at the upcoming Summit in October.

Greece’s displeasure with Germany’s actions will be expressed by the Minister of Immigration Nikos Panagiotopoulos in the four-four he will have in Berlin with the German Deputy Minister Bert Kroeser on the sidelines of the Security Conference.

Starmer wants an “Albanian model”.

The issue of stopping the flow of illegal immigration in Europe was also discussed by the Prime Ministers of Italy and Britain at the meeting they had in Rome.

Keir Starmer had stated that he was interested in the “Albania model” which concerns Georgia Meloni’s agreement with Albania to send asylum seekers there, so that the examination of the applications is processed in the Balkan country.

At the joint press conference, the British prime minister referred to the “pan-European problem” of irregular migration and praised Italy’s “remarkable progress” in working with countries along the route used by smuggling gangs, such as Albania.