Germany extends legally questionable border controls until March 2027
The German government has announced it will extend additional controls at all nine of its land borders until early 2027, despite questions of legality.
Germany’s CDU/CSU-SPD government has announced it will extend additional border controls at all nine of its land borders until early 2027, despite concerns about their legality. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt confirmed the extension, which now lasts until March 2027. The government initially introduced these controls in September 2024 and has extended them four times, with the latest extension set to expire in September. The Federal Interior Ministry informed the European Commission of the most recent extension.
EU member states within the Schengen Area can implement border controls, but only when public order or internal security is at risk. This has raised doubts about whether Germany's extended checks violate EU Schengen laws. A Koblenz court ruled in early May that border checks on the Germany-Luxembourg border from March to September 2025 were not justified, as they were not based on a genuine threat to public order or internal security.
Law professor Dominik Brodowski initiated the case after his own experience of being checked at the border in June 2025.
The professor emphasized the significance of the ruling, highlighting its potential impact on European integration and Schengen law. Despite this, Dobrindt's decision proceeds, even as the EU recently urged Germany to suspend these additional border checks. Commission for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner argued that falling migration numbers and new EU asylum rules should lead to the phase-out of extra checks.
The EU's border control agency, Frontex, reported that irregular migration fell by about one-third in the first half of 2026.
The New Pact on Migration and Asylum, effective since June 12, simplifies the process for EU member states to refuse asylum applications. Human Rights Watch criticizes this reform, stating it will undermine asylum rights "at a time when the world needs Europe more than ever to champion human rights." Former European Parliament President Martin Schulz also criticized the additional controls, stating they achieved nothing and breached fundamental European laws.
Written by urgent.news from IamExpat Germany (All Germany News)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
