Germany’s controversial new border control proposals are threatening to cause deep divisions within the European Union, with right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders saying his country should adopt a similar approach.
Meanwhile Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also voiced his support in a message for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in which he said: “Welcome to the club.”
The German government on Tuesday announced a crackdown on irregular migration and crime following recent extremist attacks, and plans to extend temporary border controls to all nine of its frontiers next week.
Mr Wilders’s right-wing PVV party emerged as the largest single party in last year’s election, but who has stepped back from his bid to become Prime Minister after failing to gain enough support among other parties.
Speaking about German interior minister Nancy Faeser, he said: “‘I saw the minister say on television she just told the European Commission, and I thought, we can do that too.”
Similarly, Dilan Yesilgoz, leader of the VVD, another right- wing Dutch party, said the German policy was “super interesting, and we can do it too”.
Mr Orban, posting on X, said: “Germany has decided to impose strict border controls to stop illegal migration.
“Chancellor Scholz, welcome to the club! #StopMigration.”
Ms Faeser told a press conference: “We are strengthening our internal security through concrete action and we are continuing our tough stance against irregular migration.
“Until we achieve strong protection of the EU’s external borders with the new Common European Asylum System, we must increase controls at our national borders even more.”
Germany has already had more than 30,000 rejections of people seeking to cross its borders since last October, Ms Faeser pointed out.
She added: “This served to further limit irregular migration and to protect against the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime.
“We are doing everything we can to better protect people in our country against this.”
Last month, a deadly knife attack by a Syrian asylum-seeker in Soligen killed three people.
The perpetrator claimed to be inspired by the Islamic State group.
In June, a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left a police officer dead and four other people wounded.
The border closures are set to last six months and are threatening to test European unity, especially given Germany shares more borders with other countries than any other member of the EU27.
Germany’s neighbours have already criticised plans to introduce temporary controls into the passport-free Schengen zone.
Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, said that Germany was acting unilaterally and unfairly in its ‘unacceptable’ plans that risked breaking European law.
He said Germany had introduced a “de facto suspension of the Schengen agreement on a large scale” in its bid to confront what Ms Faeser has called “irregular migration”.
Her ministry said the move complied with national and European law and reflect “coordinated action within Germany as well as within the EU”.
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