Olympic Games: Faeser orders border controls with France

There will be temporary border controls at the German border with France from Saturday. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) ordered internal border controls at the German land border and in air traffic with France due to the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and also reported this at EU level. The measures will apply from July 20 to September 30, a ministry spokesperson announced.

“We want to ensure the highest level of security in close cooperation with the French authorities,” they said. The German steps are intended to accompany France’s security measures. They are closely coordinated.

Tightened border controls due to European Championship end

These event-related controls are necessary in order to identify potential criminals and threats operating across borders at an early stage and to take the necessary border police measures. According to the Interior Ministry, however, they should not be carried out across the board, but rather “depending on the situation, based on risk and as targeted as possible”. The impact on the border regions, their residents, cross-border commuters, the economy and trade should be kept as low as possible, the Interior Ministry stressed.

This Friday, the temporary controls at all German internal borders ordered for the European Football Championship will end. From Saturday, instead of border controls, there will be undercover surveillance at the Schengen internal borders with Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, with targeted checks in the border regions. As has been the case for some time, controls will continue at the land borders with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland. The aim here is to limit irregular migration and combat people smuggling. They are limited to December 15 for Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland, and to November 11 for Austria.