Border controls – Seehofer curbs freedom of travel – politics

In March, the Federal Minister of the Interior surprised neighboring countries with border controls. But when it comes to removing restrictions, you’re in no rush. There are reasons for this.

You have now reached level three, the most uncomfortable of all phases. According to federal interior minister Horst Seehofer (CSU), level one in the fight against infectious disease Covid-19 was the imposition of contact bans and the introduction of border controls in Germany. Tier two was a billion dollar aid to affected livelihoods. Level three, “by far the most difficult”, was how Seehofer recently expressed that it was a gradual withdrawal of restrictions. This phase can now be considered as accomplished.

For days, pressure on the interior minister to loosen or lift controls at German borders has been mounting. In Brussels, some federal states, but also in the opposition, there is growing concern about a Europe that can no longer fulfill the promise of freedom to travel. But … Seehofer wouldn’t be Seehofer if he gave in to this pressure too quickly.

Picking up the pace was the catchphrase at the Federal Home Office on Tuesday. In mid-March, police checks were reintroduced at various German borders due to the spread of the coronavirus at quite arbitrary times. The project is said to have been discussed with the EU’s interior ministers. Apparently, however, it was not sealed at the highest level. French President Emmanuel Macron reacted angrily. The criticism also came from Brussels. At the time, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had no choice but to present the border controls already announced by Seehofer as a European project.

Germany is making progress, its European neighbors are forced to do the same: this scenario should not be repeated when border controls are lifted. “I am in intense conversations with everyone involved, especially our neighbors,” Seehofer said Süddeutsche Zeitung on Tuesday. He also did not want to comment on a possible end to quarantine regulation in Germany. “It will take a while.” A decision was expected before Tuesday night.

Seehofer, by nature is not a European politician, always considered it the first task in the Corona crisis to guarantee the security of “the population”. It always meant that in Germany, whoever felt that he had to be protected against an outside intruder. In March Seehofer ordered border controls in Covid 19 risk areas: France, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark. Even air travelers from Italy and Spain were only allowed to enter the country with good reasons, for example, for work-related travel, for business appointments that cannot be postponed, or for the transportation of goods.

In Seehofer, border controls are considered a useful measure, also because, as a secondary catch, they have allowed the arrest of several suspected criminals. Relaxation of controls, such as limiting random samples or reopening closed border crossing points, was still considered a possible procedure in Berlin.

Seehofer does not want to remove all controls at the same time. “An essential criterion is the infection process on both sides of the border,” said a spokesman. It should also be considered whether similar measures are applied to combat infection in neighboring countries. A situation where stores are closed in France but open in Germany could lead many French people to shop in Germany. This is considered too risky in the Interior Ministry.

Quarantining can also be difficult for Seehofer. A court has suspended the general quarantine obligation for all travelers to Germany. It was delivered to the owner of a vacation home. If the federal and state governments hold conferences again next week, the pressure to relax will also increase with the quarantine requirement. The Interior Ministry is relaxed. “The verdict is not yet a reason to change the current regulation,” said a spokesman. However, countries have the last word in the quarantine regime.

Armin Laschet, prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and contender for the CDU federal presidency, is one of those who Seehofer’s deliberate approach is too slow. He thinks the Berlin course is fundamentally wrong. In recent weeks, he complained that he was too national and too little European. “Now there is a need for rules that protect people against the spread of the corona virus, but do not stop at national borders,” he told SZ. North Rhine-Westphalia is “in close contact with our neighbors in Belgium and the Netherlands” to “allow cross-border tourism again.”

Unlike the CSU minister, the CDU vice remains a “Kohlian” when it comes to Europe. Laschet grew up in the German-Dutch-Belgian triangle near Aachen, and six years as a member of the European Parliament has intensified his continental awareness. By raising the barriers, that is in the original German self-interest: “Without the internal market with open borders, Germany cannot overcome the crisis,” he said. Rheinische Post.

Laschet preaches what he practices in his own country. The NRW border with Belgium and the Netherlands remained largely open despite Covid-19, apart from rather sporadic checks by the federal police. Since Corona arrived at NRW in late February, Laschet and his Minister of Transport, Hendrik Wüst, have also opposed Berlin’s requests to tighten the border regime.

Close integration across the West German state border means freedom of movement. Otherwise, major supply chains threaten the economy. And it even runs the risk of bottlenecks in the health system. Medicines may be in short supply, and many doctors, nurses, and nurses fighting the crown in hospitals and nursing homes are commuters. In early April, when the Berlin Crown cabinet finally bowed to Düsseldorf’s wishes, Laschet stood in the middle of the street in the Dutch border town of Vaals and announced with his hair blowing: “The fight It was worth it, the border is still open! “