Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

TRAVEL NEWS

Germany to extend border controls to curb irregular migration

Germany will extend temporary controls to all of its borders to crack down on irregular migration into the country, a government source said on Monday.

Published: 9 September 2024 16:57 CEST

Police run a border check

Police officers search suspected apartments and houses in cities, and conduct border checks against people smuggling. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Patrick Pleul

The decision was also intended to “protect internal security from the current threats posed by Islamist terrorism and cross-border crime”, the source said.

Alongside the extended controls, Germany will also move to make it easier to turn irregular migrants back at the border, the source said.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government has faced rising pressure to curb migrant numbers and crack down on extremists after several suspected Islamist attacks.

Last month, three people were killed in a knife rampage in the western city of Solingen in which the suspect had alleged ties to the Islamic State group.

READ ALSO: How an explosive row over immigration has divided Germany

The far-right Alternative for Germany party has seized on the attacks and scored historic gains in two formerly communist eastern German states on September 1st, as it readies for national elections a year from now.

The extended border controls will be notified to the European Commission, the source said.

Germany has had temporary controls in place along its border with Austria since 2015 as a result of a large influx of migrants.

Temporary controls along the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland were introduced last year as concerns over migration grew again.

Germany also has land borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Europe’s Schengen area, which includes 25 of the 27 EU member states and several other countries, allows free travel between them without border controls.

However, member states can reintroduce controls at certain internal borders in case of exceptional circumstances, and several have done so during the Covid pandemic or after attacks.

READ ALSO: Scholz pledges to keep ‘strict controls’ on Germany’s borders

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

'Improve punctuality': Can Germany sort out its crisis-hit trains?

Rail passengers in Germany have seen punctuality rates plummet in recent years. In June it was reported that only around half of long-distance trains arrived at their destination on time.

Operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) has pledged to improve the railway network by investing €16.4 billion in an infrastructure programme over the next six years.

But this week, Transport Minister Volker Wissing brought several demands to the table aimed at making German train travel more efficient.

Now that the track refurbishment is underway, Wissing said: “Deutsche Bahn must deliver now,” adding that he wants to “see an improvement by 2027”.

Wissing said the goal is for Deutsche Bahn to be “optimally positioned” and become a “reliable mode of transport”.

Here’s a look at the main points of the plan:

Improve punctuality, bringing it up to a top level comparable to international standards. Wissing also said DB has to be punctual even when there are extreme weather conditions
Improve the capacity utilisation of long-distance trains
Review management and cut administration
Review investments outside of infrastructure modernisation
Improve the efficiency of the rail network operator ‘InfraGo’
Driving forward digitalisation
Risk management in climate change

READ ALSO: How travelling on German trains has become a nightmare for foreigners

Job cuts and no cancellation of train routes

As well as the focus on punctuality, Wissing is calling for better capacity usage of long-distance trains and fewer management staff.

According to the FDP minister, the operator currently has “too much administration”. Wissing said there should be fewer bosses in management and more staff in operations.

DB already announced at the end of July that it plans to cut around 30,000 jobs within five years – mainly in administration.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing visits a rail construction site in Hesse.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing visits a rail construction site in Hesse. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Andreas Arnold

Wissing also cited cost efficiency in the procurement of materials and on construction sites as one of the most important goals. He added that all areas, including long-distance transport and DB Cargo, are in deficit and there is a need for improvement.

Saving targets should not, however, lead to unprofitable rail routes being axed. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz, of the CDU, suggested in July that the route network should be thinned out to improve punctuality. But Wissing said this “cannot be the aspiration of a company like ours” and that DB should instead run a tightly synchronised operation on time as part of the restructuring project.

To achieve this, DB has to modernise its infrastructure – a task that is already ongoing. Among the biggest this year is the refurbishment of the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim. It closed for renovation in July and is scheduled to reopen fully on December 14th.

READ ALSO: What are the big travel changes in Germany this autumn?

Wissing said Deutsche Bahn has to become more efficient and reliable. “I am now demanding this in concrete terms,” he said.

Bosses at Deutsche Bahn are now required to submit a renovation concept, while the implementation will be closely monitored every three months. Targets are to be set for each year up to 2027 and reviewed by the Transport Ministry.

A Deutsche Bahn steering group has been set up within the ministry to closely monitor the reorganisation.

READ ALSO: ‘Learn from the Swiss’ – How Germany can solve its endless rail problems

What’s the reaction?

Transport politician Matthias Gastel from the Greens reacted sceptically to Wissing’s plan, saying that his demands were vague.

Other critics had a similar reaction. Previously, the German government has said its short-term goal is to get 70 percent of trains to run on time and to increase this to 80 percent by 2030, but there was no mention of figures in Wissing’s latest call.

An op-ed in German newspaper Welt said: “Wissing has a seven-point plan, but on the three A4 pages there is not one concrete figure by which the Transport Minister wants to measure the ‘Bahn’ in future. Instead, there are vague declarations of intent.”

Passenger rights groups see the efforts as positive – but also called for more information.

“The ministry cares about the railways and wants to get involved,” said Andreas Schröder from the passenger association Pro Bahn.

However, he said the paper is “very general” and that there is no explanation of how goals are to be achieved.

The next step is for DB’s supervisory board to discuss the proposal and submit a response to the Transport Ministry.

According to Wissing, the reorganisation plan should be available “as quickly and as concretely as possible”.

READ ALSO: What to know about Deutsche Bahn’s summer service changes

Url copied to clipboard!