German state premier: Border checks need ongoing justification

The German government must be able to justify continued border controls in the Schengen area, the premier of the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg and France, said on Saturday.

“They are not agreed as a permanent measure, they are not designed to be permanent,” Alexander Schweitzer said of the recently imposed border checks.

Schweitzer was speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement in Schengen, Luxembourg.

With the 1985 agreement, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands agreed to gradually dismantle border controls between them, allowing free movement within the so-called Schengen area. Today, 29 countries with around 420 million inhabitants belong to Schengen.

“Schengen is a historic achievement of today’s Europe,” Schweitzer said. He emphasized that he was not fundamentally opposed to “local, temporary, well-justified border controls” and noted that a sovereign state must be able to control its borders.

“But we must manage this balancing act at all times: We must not throw Europe and what we have achieved in Europe out like a baby with the bath water.”

Shortly after the new German government took office in May, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt tightened border controls and ordered border officials to deny irregular migrants entry to the country even if they apply for asylum.

The move drew criticism from neighbouring countries, particularly in the border region between Germany, Luxembourg and France.

As Schweitzer spoke to journalists, German police were carrying out controls on drivers on the German side of the Moselle bridge in Schengen.

Schweitzer said it was down to Dobrindt to justify the need for border controls. He described Dobrindt’s statement that he was focusing on “smart” border controls as “appealing.”

“However I cannot yet explain what this means,” he added.

Commenting on the anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on X: “The Schengen Agreement is unique, the foundation of our free Europe. That is how it should remain: We want a strong European single market without restrictions.”

“This requires secure external borders, implementation of the new migration rules and effective cooperation,” he added.