Former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was also Prime Minister of Luxembourg for almost two decades, has criticized the reintroduction of border controls in Germany and other European Union states.
“I would like this to stop,” he told dpa. “Anyone who thinks he can arrest refugees and other people with arrest warrants in large numbers at official border posts is wrong.”
He argued that smugglers do everything they can to avoid official police checks. This is especially true for the region around Luxembourg, where a lot of traffic crosses the borders with Germany, France and Belgium.
Juncker expressed his concern, saying: “It bothers me that it seems to be becoming so normal to reintroduce border controls. And I don’t want to get used to it.”
Germany reintroduced controls at all German borders on September 16, justifying this by limiting “irregular migration” and protecting internal security. Other EU countries are also checking their borders again.
The Schengen Agreement on unrestricted border crossings, the 40th anniversary of which is to be celebrated next year, only allows border controls exceptionally in the event of a “serious threat to public order or internal security” for an initial six months.
“A huge fuss”
Juncker stated that if Germany now also considers making such controls permanent, “it is not good for the sense of belonging of people in the Greater Region. [of SaarLorLux].”
He added: “In that regard, I would be grateful if they stopped.”
The Greater Region SaarLorLux includes 11 regional authorities and extends across four European states.
