BERLIN: The German government on Monday announced temporary border controls at all of the country’s land borders in a bid to tackle irregular migration and protect the public.
The controls will start on September 16 and last for six months initially, said the interior ministry in a statement.
“We are strengthening internal security and continuing our hard line against irregular migration,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.
Germany has adopted a hardened stance on migration in recent years, as the government scrambles to retake the initiative after support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has increased over the issue.
Recent deadly knife attacks in which the suspects were asylum seekers have raised concerns over immigration. The militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a knife attack in the western city of Solingen that killed three people in August.
The AfD earlier this month won a state election, in Thuringia becoming the first far-right party since World War Two. The imposition of temporary border controls could be another test of the unity in the European community.
Germany shares its more than 3,700-km long land border with Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
Interior Minister of Austria’s Gerhard Karner told media on Monday that his country would not take in any migrants turned away by Germany at the border.
Germany last year announced strict border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland in response to a sharp increase in asylum requests.
