Relax, Citizens, Your Border Controls Remain Unchanged—For Now
CDU Assures No Immediate Changes for Citizens Amid Border Controls - Border Controls Remain Unaltered for Citizens According to CDU
Here's the scoop on that: you won't see any changes in border controls for citizens, according to Stephan Toscani, bigwig of the CDU in Saarland. He's basically saying the status quo is the status quo. So, if you've been doing your usual dance at the Saarland borders with France and Luxembourg, you can keep grooving.
But there are some qualitative changes brewing if they start sending back folks who aren't legally allowed to enter Germany. That'll help to curb and cap unlawful immigration, Toscani said. Now, border controls at EU internal borders might stay an exception, according to our dashing Saarland politico. The goal remains to have a kick-ass external border protection in the EU, making internal border controls pointless.
Forty years of Schengen fun is about to reach a milestone on its birthday in June. What's that, you ask? Well, Schengen's the thing that gives Europeans free, borderless travel. Toscani reckons we should celebrate this bash by boosting the EU's external border protection to eliminate the need for internal border checks like those in Saarland.
Now, let's talk numbers. The border controls, which were initially meant to end in mid-March, have been stretched out for half a year. The reason for the extension? Fighting irregular migration. These checks aren't standard practice in the European Schengen area, but here we are.
Now, for those of you wondering about the lingo, here are some handy translationese (pronounced "tran-say-aye"):
- Border Control: The place where persons, vehicles, and goods are examined when crossing an international border, you know, like the one between Saarland and France.
- CDU: A political party in Germany. They're the ones keen on keeping you safe and secure at those pesky borders.
- Federal Government: The central government of Germany, currently run by the CDU.
- Saarland: A region in western Germany, neighbors delicious French wine and food, and apparently, borders.
- Stephan Toscani: The merry little gent who's keeping us all up-to-date on the changing border control situation.
- EU: The European Union, a political and economic union of 27 European countries. It sets rules for how we work, play, and travel across the continent.
- Reintroduced: Oh,vey! That means they brought it back, like when Aunt Mildred starts singing showtunes at family gatherings.
- Saarbrücken: A city in Saarland, best known for being pretty close to the border.
- Schengen: Ah, the life of the party! Schengen's the guy that erased all internal border controls in Europe, allowing us Europeans to move freely among countries. But with great freedom comes great responsibility—or something like that.
- Stephan Toscani, a CDU member in Saarland, has stated that border controls for citizens remain unchanged at this time.
- Toscani also indicated that there may be strengthened controls to send back individuals who are not legally permitted to enter Germany, in an effort to address unlawful immigration.
- The exceptions to these internal border controls are intended to focus on strengthening the European Union's external border protection, with the ultimate goal of making internal border checks unnecessary, much like those in Saarland.
- The ongoing border controls, initially planned to end in mid-March, have been extended for six months by the Federal Government to help combat irregular migration.
