Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced Monday that tighter controls will be brought in temporarily at all of Germany’s land borders in order to cut down on irregular migration and improve security.
The move comes as the country’s governing coalition bids to reverse its political fortunes and hold back the far-right tide by forging ahead with tougher migration measures.
The ministry said temporary controls will be erected at Germany’s land borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
There are already additional checks in place at the Polish, Swiss and Czech borders, set to remain in force until Dec. 15, and at the Austrian border, until Nov. 11.
Tusk called Germany’s decision a “de facto suspension of the Schengen Agreement on a large scale.” The Schengen accord, first signed in 1985, now allows unrestricted travel among all nine countries that share a border with Germany.
“I have no doubt that it is the internal political situation of Germany that is causing these steps to be tightened, and not our policy toward illegal migration at our borders,” he said.