The government in Berlin has introduced controls on all its borders to show that it is doing something about migration. However, the sense of this move is being questioned by Germany's neighbors, who, like France, have a huge problem with illegal migration themselves. Berlin's move raises questions about whether national egoisms are the right answer to common challenges in a united Europe.
Luxembourg's Schengen is a symbol of a Europe without barriers. The town, located where the borders of Luxembourg, France and Germany meet, is trying to get used to the controls that have returned on the German side.
– The checks only bother people commuting. It's an outdated method. I doubt they will actually catch the people who should be caught. It's more of a nuisance than a help, says Lucien Max, a resident Schengen. – It is more rational to check these long-distance buses, but checks at every turn do not make sense. Smugglers will always find a way to cross the border – says Marion Remmler, a tourist from Germany.
READ ALSO: Most Germans support border controls
Following a decision by Olaf Scholz's government, the police have been conducting random checks along the entire length of the German border since Monday. The German Ministry of the Interior has already had to explain itself – it denies that the police used so-called racial profiling, i.e. stopped mainly drivers with darker skin tones.
Scholz's unilateral decision, dictated by internal politics, sparked a debate throughout Europe about national egoisms and individual countries acting “on their own”.
Not only Germany can reintroduce border controlsJakub Loska/Facts about the World TVN24 BiS
The problem of illegal immigration in France
Illegal immigration is once again a hot topic in France. On Sunday, eight people drowned in the English Channel trying to reach the British Isles by boat. It is the second such tragedy in just two weeks. On September 3, 12 people died in a similar accident.
“The coastguard can't stop these people, they can only stop them in the water. The smugglers benefit from this. The problem is that England has to do something too. Why doesn't England want to let these people in? It's not just us who are to blame. I think it's the British too,” says Anna Sophie Demarais, a resident of Lille.
Such tragedies do not stop more people risking their lives to get to England. The camps in Calais have been filled in recent weeks mainly by refugees from war-torn and famine-threatened Sudan. “We are scared, but we are taking risks because we want to get to Britain. We have no other choice. It is also about the language. French is difficult. Sudanese speak English,” says one migrant.
Migrants on their way to Lampedusa, Italy. Archive footage Reuters
What is the British government planning?
The British prime minister maintains that his country complies with international humanitarian law. Keir Starmer discussed illegal migration with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
“I have long believed that the most important thing is to prevent people from making such dangerous journeys,” said the British Prime Minister. “Every week, thousands of migrants cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy and Europe illegally, and many of them also cross the English Channel to reach the UK. This is a problem that has affected the whole of Europe and we agreed with Prime Minister Starmer that the first thing to do is to step up our fight against human trafficking,” announced the Italian Prime Minister.
Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity with Matteo Salvini. The Palermo prosecutor's office has requested a 6-year prison sentence for the Italian deputy prime minister. The far-right politician is accused of illegally blocking an NGO ship carrying almost 150 migrants rescued at sea from entering Italian ports in 2019 as head of the Interior Ministry. Salvini says today: “I am guilty of defending Italy.”
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Main image source: PAP/EPA/TERESA SUAREZ