Germany's temporary border controls – introduced in September 2024 – are set to be extended for six months, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday.
In the name of "internal security" and to curb irregular immigration, Germany reintroduced temporary controls at all its borders on 16 September 2024 for six months.
At the time, the European Commission had reiterated that measures of this kind "must remain strictly exceptional" and should be "proportionate".
Scholz's extension announcement comes just over a week before the legislative elections of 23 February, in which immigration has emerged as a central political issue.
In principle, such internal border controls are prohibited within the Schengen zone. However, in the event of threats to public order or security, they are possible for six months and can be extended for a total period not exceeding two years.
Berlin has "notified the European Commission of the renewal of the measure from mid-March to mid-September 2025," Scholz stated in a press release.
The head of government highlighted the effectiveness of the measure with "47,000 deportations at the borders, a third fewer asylum applications from 2023 to 2024, and the arrest of 1,900 smugglers."
Scholz' rival, Friedrich Merz, leader of the German conservatives and favourite in the polls to become the next chancellor, has said he wants to reintroduce permanent border controls. Merz aims to block and turn back all undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers.
