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BORDER CONTROL

German G20 border control may delay Danes

A temporary German border control on the border with Denmark could cause delays of up to 30 minutes.

German G20 border control may delay Danes
File photo: Claus Fisker/Scanpix

Extra border control will be put in place by German authorities during Hamburg’s hosting of the G20 summit from July 7th, reports DR.

This is likely to result in extensive queueing on Denmark’s southbound E45 motorway, Mette Nedergaard of the Danish Road Directorate’s (Vejdirektoratet) traffic department told the broadcaster.

“We saw last year that significant queues arose when motorists were returning from Germany to Denmark. This year, we can also expect queues when Danes drive to Germany,” she said.

Estimated waiting times to cross the border are around 30 minutes, Nedergaard said.

The temporary German border control will remain in place until July 11th.

Denmark’s own border controls with Germany, which were introduced in January 2016 and have seen border police return to the Schleswig-Holstein frontier, have remained in place through repeated extensions for three six-month periods.

Denmark introduced border control as a result of a peak in the flow of migrants in 2015.

Last month, the EU approved the extension of border controls in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Norway, with the proviso that they will likely be lifted in October. This means that any further extension would require a different justification to be put forward by the Danish government.

EU rules which allow Schengen zone countries to reinstate border checks under exceptional circumstances.

READ ALSO: Sweden's ID checks were 'not fun': Danish PM Rasmussen

BORDER CHECKS

Always bring ID: Danish checks on Sweden border take effect

Danish checks on border crossings with Sweden have come into effect.

Always bring ID: Danish checks on Sweden border take effect
Danish customs officers on the Øresund Bridge. File photo: Morten Germund/Ritzau Scanpix

The Danish government announced last month that it would bring in controls on the border, citing recent bomb explosions and gang violence.

The border checks will take place at all border crossings one or more times per week.

People travelling across the border will therefore need to carry the proper identification such as a passport or driving licence.

In a confirmation issued on Monday, Denmark’s National Police confirmed the border control was now effective and reaffirmed its intention of “preventing serious and organized crime from spreading”.

All travellers should be prepared to show identification, the police statement added.

Copenhagen and surrounding areas have been subjected to a series of explosions and gang-related shootings in recent months.

Those incidents include an explosion at the Tax Agency in the Nordhavn area of the city, for which police suspect two Swedish men. No serious injuries occurred.

“We are targeting organized crime and it is a stated goal for normal travellers to be affected as little as possible by the border control. The frequency of checks will depend upon current status of investigations and local conditions and traffic flow,” National Police director Lene Frank said in the statement.

Border control will take place in the form of spot checks and periods in which police controls will be in place. This will apply to ferry crossings between Sweden and Rønne (Bornholm), Helsingør (Zealand), Frederikshavn and Grenaa (both Jutland); traffic as on the Øresund Bridge and on all rail connections between Sweden and Denmark, Franks confirmed.

Stockholm has meanwhile announced its own response to a recent spate of violent crime incidents including explosions and fatal shootings in Sweden.

EU rules allow temporary border control within the Schengen zone for up to six months, after which application must be made to member states via the Commission's council of ministers to extend the arrangement.

Commuters between Copenhagen and Malmö and others who regularly cross the Denmark-Sweden border are likely used to bringing passports with them, given that Sweden has had its own controls in place since the European refugee crisis in late 2015.

Denmark has had checks in place on its border with Germany since January 2016, having extended them on several occasions.

 

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