Germany’s new government will introduce stricter border controls starting next week and will refuse entry to illegal migrants, a senior aide to Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz announced on Wednesday.
“Anyone attempting to enter Germany illegally must expect to be stopped at the German border starting on May 6,” said Thorsten Frei, the new federal minister for special tasks and head of the chancellor’s office.
The conservative politician told Funke Media Group newspapers that the new coalition government would “expand and strengthen” checks on people at Germany’s borders immediately after taking office.
Frei emphasised that, in accordance with EU law and directives, asylum seekers must submit their applications in the first EU country they enter. He said that Germany’s new coalition government would coordinate this approach with neighbouring countries, including France, Austria and Poland.
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) agreed on Wednesday to form a coalition government with the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union alliance. The parties reached an agreement on a ruling coalition in early April. After that, the SPD put it to a vote in which all 358,000 party members could participate.
Border controls as a way to deal with migrant flows
Earlier, the CDU/CSU proposed declaring a state of emergency in Germany due to the influx of illegal migrants, Bild reported, citing a resolution. It states that the country is facing “a new level of violence.” As an example, MPs cited the recent attack by an Afghan on passers-by in the city of Aschaffenburg, which left two people injured, including a child.
If European measures do not work, it is the duty of Germany and its government to give priority to national legislation, the bloc’s representatives stressed.
According to them, the resolution provides for long-term border controls in Germany and the refusal of entry to foreigners who do not have a residence permit. Moreover, all those who are obliged to leave Germany should be immediately taken into custody pending deportation, the MPs concluded.
