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Seehofer on criticism from the EU: “Enough is enough!”
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer defends entry restrictions into Germany
Source: dpa / Bernd von Jutrczenka
This Sunday entry restrictions and border controls to some neighboring countries will come into force. The criticism comes at a particular time, and the police union is also in trouble with the rules.
DCritical voices from the German border controls due to take effect on Sunday are getting louder, and the response is also sharper. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer once again vigorously rejected Brussels’ criticisms of border controls along the Czech and Austrian borders. “That’s enough! The EU Commission has made quite a few mistakes in obtaining vaccines in recent months,” the CSU politician told the newspaper “Bild” (Saturday). “The EU Commission should support us and don’t throw sticks between our legs with cheap advice. “
In view of the new entry restrictions in the Czech Republic and Tyrol, the EU Commission had previously asked Germany to grant exceptions for travelers, for example. A spokesman for the authority recalled on Friday that the EU states had recently agreed joint recommendations for travel under Corona. Expect all countries to act accordingly. However, the new restrictions and border controls that will be applied as of Sunday do not provide for such exceptions.
This also outraged the Tyrolean governor Günther Platter and his deputy Ingrid Felipe. This would make work impossible for thousands of Tyrolean commuting to work in Bavaria, Plattner said. Under current Bavarian regulations, people who lived in Germany but worked in Tyrol would also have to self-quarantine on their return trip. “This would mean that cross-border joint work and economic activity in the border regions would almost come to a halt, which cannot be in Germany’s interest either,” they criticized.
According to the federal government, as of Sunday only Germans, foreigners with residence and residence permits in Germany, seasonal agricultural workers and health workers will be able to enter Austria from the Czech Republic and much of Tyrol. To enforce the ban, federal police are preparing for stationary border controls.
As the Federal Ministry of the Interior explained on Friday, spouses, registered partners, minor children and parents of minor children can also come, but only if they cross the border together with the German relative. Truck drivers and other transport personnel in the transport of goods are also exempt from the ban. Furthermore, entry should be allowed for urgent humanitarian reasons, for example in the event of death. The testing and quarantine regulations also apply in exceptional cases. There should be no restriction on entry to certain border crossings. The regulations apply to travelers from the Czech Republic and Tyrol with the exception of the Lienz district, the Jungholz community and the Riss valley in the Vomp and Eben am Achensee area.
Meanwhile, the police union (GdP) criticized the equipment of the federal police. “The technical equipment of the Federal Police leaves much to be desired. There is a lack of container offices, medical vehicles and large tents to be able to carry out the controls, “said the president of the federal police of the GdP district, Andreas Roßkopf, of the” Rheinische Post “(Saturday). The federal police are also insufficiently staffed for border controls. There is a risk that those familiar with the area bypass the controls on the country and forest trails. To avoid this, more emergency services are needed: “I expect an additional effort from several hundred of the riot police, who will be permanently on duty,” Roßkopf said.
Since Friday, the federal government has also classified the EU country, Slovakia, as an area with particularly dangerous virus mutations, as the Robert Koch Institute reports on its website. This means that airlines as well as bus and train companies can no longer transport passengers from Slovakia to Germany. The exceptions are German citizens and foreigners living in Germany.
