Germany announced this week the expansion of checks at all its land borders and the rejection of more asylum seekers in an effort it claimed to reduce irregular immigration, reversing its previous open-door policy.

Germany is located in the heart of Europe, and shares land borders with nine countries. Its plans signal a setback to free movement within it European Uniona pillar of the European project, and could affect regional unity.

In particular, the plans of the German interior ministry under Nancy Feser include border controls, more rejections of asylum requests but also rapid returns to the countries of first entry into the EU or deportations to third countries. Control procedures will be carried out quickly at the border by the police, who will have enhanced powers. That is, it will be examined which country is competent, based on the Dublin Regulation, to handle each asylum case, while the creation of detention centers on the German border will also be examined.

What did Germany announce?

Germany announced on Monday that it would extend temporary controls to all of its land borders.

Controls in a wide free movement zone – the European Schengen Area – will start on September 16 and will initially last for six months.

On Tuesday he announced proposals to strengthen enforcement of EU asylum rules, including the detention of asylum seekers, with authorities determining whether Germany is responsible for processing their case.

Police could do this with the help of Europe’s shared fingerprint database, Eurodac, among other tools.

The government has rejected a proposal by the opposition Conservatives to automatically turn away asylum seekers at the border, which it says is against EU law.

Why now?

According to analysts, despite the fact that irregular immigration has put a dramatic strain on public services, the decision is being interpreted more politically as it is seen as an attempt by the German government to reverse support for both the conservatives and the far-right ahead of regional and federal elections. .

Polls show immigration is the main concern of voters in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, where elections are held in ten days and where the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) of Chancellor Olaf Solz are fighting to keep power.

Currently, the anti-immigrant far-right party EAlternative for Germany (AfD) comes first in opinion polls after earlier this month it won elections in Thuringia, making it the first far-right party since World War II to come first in a regional election.

Recent knife attacks in which the suspects were asylum seekers have raised concerns about increased immigration. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a knife attack in the western town of Solingen that killed three people.

How does it affect free movement in Europe?

The EU bloc has a visa-free movement zone known as the Schengen Area, which allows citizens of most EU countries to travel easily across borders for work and leisure. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are also part of Schengen, even though they are not members of the EU.

According to the EU, member states are allowed to temporarily reintroduce controls at the EU’s so-called internal borders in the event of a serious threat, such as to internal security. However, it also states that border controls should be applied as a last resort in exceptional situations and should be time-limited.

Such restrictions are often placed at major sporting events, including the recent Paris Olympics and this summer’s European soccer championship.

With the expansion of border controls, travelers will be subject to more checks when crossing borders, which could lead to delays and traffic jams.

Germany could refuse entry or detain at the border anyone it deems to be entering the country illegally and seeking asylum.

“I don’t expect the end of Schengen in general, rather a less functional free movement area,” said Markus Engler at the German Center for Integration and Migration Research.

How did other countries react?

Some neighboring countries have criticized Germany as they believe its decision to expand controls could lead to them being forced to take in more asylum seekers themselves and affect trade.

The Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk called on Tuesday for urgent consultations with other countries and for more support for Warsaw’s own immigration policies.

He said what Poland needed was not tighter controls on its border with Germany, but more commitment from Berlin and others to secure the EU’s external borders.

However, other European officials were more optimistic, given that Germany, like other EU countries, already carries out checks at some of its borders. Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, for example, said he did not expect major changes as checks would be random.

Both Poland and the Czech Republic already have detention centers for migrants who do not have the necessary travel documents or whose asylum claims are being processed.

At the same time, the new Prime Minister of France, Michel Barnier, wants to tighten the immigration policy of the country, with illegal immigration being his first priority. “One has the impression that the borders are like a sieve – and that the migration flows are out of control. This is exactly what we want to change,” Barnier said last week.

Meanwhile, the reaction of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has long called for more to be done in Europe to stop irregular immigration, was typical.

“Soltz, welcome to the club!” he wrote to X.

What the numbers say about asylum applications

The EU received more than 1.14 million asylum applications in 2023, the highest number since the 2016 migration crisis, according to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).

However, applications have fallen in recent months, with May registering a third drop compared to last autumn’s peak.

Germany continued to receive the most asylum applications, 22% of the total, while Ireland received the most per capita.

What’s next?

Berlin will have to discuss its plans to detain asylum seekers at the border with Germany’s 16 regional governments, whose authorities will have to implement them. It has also said it wants to hold consultations with its European partners, whose cooperation would be essential if it is to send back asylum seekers.

However, it can implement border controls immediately, having already communicated its decision to the European Commission.