German-speaking countries unify over migrant repatriation
The interior ministers of the five German-speaking countries – Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Switzerland – have met in Basel for talks on migration and the fight against organised crime.
Six months ago, Germany reintroduced checks at the border with Switzerland – against the wishes of the Swiss government. And this will not change in the near future, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser made clear on Monday: “As long as Germany suffers as much from migration pressure as it does now and it is necessary to have stricter controls, we need border controls, which we also have with Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria.”
Germany expands border controls further
Faeser said that not only would this continue, but Germany would also soon extend its border controls to France, the Netherlands and other countries in light of the UEFA European football championship (EURO 2024) taking place in Germany this summer.
+ Germany extends border controls with Switzerland again
In her view, the checks have been a success: “Since we introduced the border controls, we have seen a massive drop in irregular migration in Germany, a drop of 20%. And we have been very successful in apprehending people-smuggling gangs. This is key because in Germany one in four refugees arrives via smugglers.”
+ Germany notifies the EU of border controls at the Polish, Czech and Swiss frontiers
The news that Germany wants to keep border controls with Switzerland did not go down well with the Swiss government, partly because it would restrict 10,000 cross-border commuters. “We still want the end of border controls with Germany. We have also registered this request,” said Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans, who said that the introduction of further border controls was not an option for Switzerland.
The Dublin Regulation
Apart from this difference of opinion, the five ministers of the German-speaking countries appeared united. This is especially the case for the repatriation of migrants under the Dublin Regulation, where the aim is to speak with one voice in future.
For example, it is planned that the five countries will jointly approach the European Commission with the aim of Italy, Hungary and Greece taking back more migrants who have travelled on from their countries within the European Union (EU).
“When it comes to complying with the Dublin rules, we think we can achieve more together. We can achieve much more together than if we phone Rome, Athens or Budapest individually,” they said.
The five countries also pledged to step up their cooperation in the fight against international organised crime.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kp/sb
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