Open doors for closed borders?
Luxembourg criticises Germany’s border controls, which aim to guarantee security during this year’s European Football Championship. Germany’s other neighbouring countries have not opposed the controls. Switzerland also reinforces its border controls, for EURO 2024 and the following Paris Olympic Games.
For a small place like Luxembourg, however, border controls hit harder. Half of all Luxembourg workers are cross-border commuters, and the length of traffic jams multiplies due to border checks. Luxembourg’s government had agreed to random checks in the hinterland but opposed general checks at the border. Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden claims the new measures remind him of the border checks during the Covid-19 pandemic, which he says should not be repeated.
The six-week-long controls on all border crossings are part of Germany’s measures to safeguard the tournament. The measures, including increased police presence and online surveillance to prevent cyberattacks, have led to strong criticism, for instance, from representatives of football fans. They claim that German authorities have implemented “unprecedented surveillance”.
 | Franziska Peschel & Jasper Bennink Sports events, diseases, potential terrorism, simple migration – European countries have become quick to introduce temporary border checks. Especially, the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have validated temporary border controls as a tool for any occasion. Eight EU member states are currently conducting controls. In January, the EU even strengthened the right for the member states to check people entering the country. With a new reform of the Schengen regulations, border controls can now be upheld for up to two years, instead of previously six months, in case of a terrorism threat. |
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