The French authorities say they are extending border controls for a further six months starting on 1 November, French police announced.
Paris has been carrying out intermittent border checks since 2015. So far, they have not caused any disruption, and the federal police do not expect this to change in the near future, a police spokesperson said.
The French Government had notified the European Commission in mid-October of its intention to maintain these controls from 1 November 2024 to 30 April 2025.
Under the principle of free movement within the Schengen area, a Member State may only reintroduce checks at its internal borders temporarily and in the event of a serious threat to public order or internal security. In practice, however, these controls often remain in place for longer than authorised.
France justifies the extension and broadening of the border checks by citing the "serious threats to public order and internal security posed by high-level terrorist activities, the growing presence of criminal networks facilitating illegal immigration and trafficking, and migratory flows that risk being infiltrated by radicalised individuals."
For its part, Germany began carrying out checks at all its borders, including the border with Belgium, in mid-September, but so far these checks have not caused much inconvenience.
At the Belgian border, Berlin is confining itself mainly to spot checks.
The Netherlands is also planning to introduce border controls, but only from the end of November.
