Merz defends border controls: Is there finally clarity for commuters?

Merz defends border controls: Is there finally clarity for commuters?

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is at the center of the political discussion about Germany's border controls to combat irregular migration. In response to criticism from Luxembourg and Poland, Merz defended the controls and emphasized that the protection of Europe's external borders was not sufficiently guaranteed. These measures are designed to be temporary in order to regulate migration while at the same time ensuring that restrictions on commuters are kept to a minimum. Over 50,000 German cross-border commuters are currently working in Luxembourg, which underlines the sensitivity of the issues.

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden called for increased police cooperation between the countries in order to reduce or even abolish controls if necessary. Frieden emphasized that illegal immigration cannot be tolerated, but that economic relations between the countries should not be hindered.

Border controls and their effects

At the same time, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland would also introduce temporary border controls with Germany. Tusk mentioned that he had already informed the German side about this in March. In this context, Merz criticized reports about the returns of asylum seekers to Poland and explained the discussions he had held with Tusk in order to minimize the burden on both sides. In Poland there is currently pressure from the right-wing conservative opposition (PiS), particularly regarding the rejections from Germany.

Chancellor Merz's first official acts were recently discussed on the ZDF program “Markus Lanz”. Merz promised during the election campaign to limit irregular migration on the first day of his chancellorship. In the first two weeks after the change of government, the federal police turned back several hundred people at the border, including asylum seekers. According to the first balance, the federal police rejected 739 people in the first week, then 1,676 in the second week.

Balance of migration

The number of asylum applications filed in Germany rose slightly, which is linked to the tightened border controls. While over 350,000 asylum applications were received in 2023, a decrease to around 160,000 is expected for 2025. The decline in irregular migration is also evident at the EU level: almost 240,000 illegal border crossings occurred in 2024, a decrease of almost 150,000 compared to the previous year. The reasons for this include a more stable situation in Syria and improved EU external border security.

At the same time, the economic consequences of the controls cannot be ignored. From September to December 2024, the costs amounted to 27.6 million euros, while the possible economic costs resulting from disruptions in the movement of goods are estimated at up to 1.1 billion euros. The political and financial costs of border controls are high, while the actual benefits prove difficult to measure.

In summary, the current situation shows that the German federal government sees border controls as a necessary measure to combat irregular migration, while at the same time the concerns and economic challenges cannot be ignored. Lokalo.de reports that the debate about the right balance between security and economic cooperation remains ongoing. ZDF also emphasizes in its reporting that the controls are having an impact, while the long-term effect on migration remains to be seen.