Urgent procedure request remains unanswered by the Commission.
In a joint appeal, the mayors of Kehl and Strasbourg, Wolfram Britz and Jeanne Barseghian, have written to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, requesting a temporary intensification of border controls between Germany and France. The appeal comes in response to the significant impediments that the intensified border controls since 8 May have reportedly caused in the German-French conurbation.
The intensified controls have led to traffic jams at the Europa Bridge between Strasbourg and Kehl, and an economic impact, with fewer customers from the Strasbourg region visiting Kehl's shops. The mayors argue that these controls significantly impede life in the region.
The appeal was sent on mid-May, and it concerns the intensified border controls that Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) ordered shortly after taking office. Dobrindt also authorized the turning back of asylum seekers at the border, which has reportedly led to an increase in the number of turnbacks by almost half within a week.
The mayors have not received a response to their criticism about the border controls. They are calling for the intensity of the controls to be reduced to the level they were before 8 May. The mayors' appeal is a reflection of rising local pressures to strengthen border controls due to increased cross-border challenges.
The Schengen Agreement, signed by Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands in 1985, normally allows passport-free movement across many European borders. However, the mayors argue that exceptional measures are now needed for security reasons. Thus, they have formally appealed to Chancellor Merz to consider partial reintroduction of border checks and tighter controls as a temporary measure to address these concerns.
The Schengen Agreement currently has 29 countries belonging to the Schengen area and approximately 420 million inhabitants. The mayors' request for a temporary suspension or restriction of the free movement provisions of the Schengen Agreement at this border aims to better manage and control immigration and crime.
[1] The source for this information is dpa/lsw.
- The mayors of Kehl and Strasbourg, in light of the policy-and-legislation by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, have sent an appeal to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, calling for a reduction in the intensity of border controls between their municipalities to the level prior to 8 May.
- The mayors' request, part of the general-news conversation, also includes their desire for temporary reintroduction of border checks and tighter controls under the Schengen Agreement, as they believe these measures are necessary for security reasons due to increasing cross-border challenges.
