The head of Germany’s Interior Ministry has stated that Berlin currently does not plan to establish permanent border checks at the frontier with Poland. In parallel, Paweł Jabłoński, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, used X to respond to the update, underscoring the ongoing political dialogue surrounding this issue.
There is a sense of surprise in some quarters. Despite sustained advocacy from German officials and some members of the opposition aligned with pro-German positions, the border between Germany and Poland is set to remain open for now. The remark from Jabłoński hinted at a continuing debate over whether future security measures might be warranted if conditions on migration and border management shift. He suggested that the situation would be re-examined if the current approach proves inadequate, a statement that reflected the tension between safeguarding flow and ensuring mobility across European borders.
– He wrote Jabłoński, signaling that the national conversation on border policy remains active and unsettled.
For his part, the broader political spectrum within Germany is likely to keep pressing the government to consider all practical options as asylum pressures persist, with some voices indicating that more steps could be taken if the security landscape changes.
The head of the German Ministry of the Interior on control measures at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic
Berlin’s interior leadership, led by Nancy Faeser, outlined the ministry’s plan to tighten border controls at the eastern and southern frontiers, citing a recent surge in asylum seekers arriving from Poland and the Czech Republic. The ministry has signaled a strategy that emphasizes measured, flexible actions rather than rigid, permanent checkpoints, a stance reported by dpa. The approach aims to deter smuggling networks while protecting the everyday routines of residents who commute across these borders for work or family reasons.
Faeser told members of the Bundestag’s Home Affairs Committee that permanent border checkpoints along the Czech and Polish borders are not on the immediate agenda, unlike the existing setup along the border with Austria. Still, she did not close the door to future consideration if circumstances shift and European Union processes permit such steps. According to participants at Wednesday’s session, she indicated that this possibility could be revisited should data and risk assessments justify a different level of vigilance.
The interior ministry stressed that any tightening would be dynamic and contingent, designed to disrupt human smuggling networks without creating unnecessary friction for lawful cross-border travel. Cooperation with the Czech Republic has already been deepened, with joint inspections on both sides of the border, and similar arrangements with Switzerland have been pursued to broaden regional resilience against trafficking networks. The overarching goal remains safeguarding vulnerable populations while maintaining the smooth operation of legitimate border traffic.
The minister concluded that flexible controls serve as an effective instrument in combating trafficking, yet they should not disrupt the daily lives of those who routinely cross borders for work, study, or care. The challenge is to implement scrutiny where it yields measurable security benefits without placing an undue burden on ordinary citizens who rely on cross-border movement for their livelihoods.
Observers will be watching closely to gauge the practical impact of any additional measures, and Faeser acknowledged that the question of stationary checks could reemerge if European Commission mandates or security assessments signal a need for a more permanent presence. Any such decision would require prior coordination at the EU level and careful consideration of the legal framework governing border management within the union.
Since the autumn of 2015, stationary checks have operated in Bavaria at the German-Austrian border, a model that has evolved with multiple expansions over time. In light of rising asylum applications, CDU lawmakers have urged the government to explore applying similar controls at borders with Poland and the Czech Republic, arguing that a targeted, temporary approach could yield better control over irregular entry while minimizing disruption to regular travel and work life.
In the first eight months of the current year, authorities reported nearly 71,000 detected unlawful entries, with Syria, Afghanistan, Türkiye, and Iraq among the leading countries of origin. During the same period, asylum applications in Germany surpassed 204,000, a rise of about 77 percent compared with the previous year, underscoring the ongoing pressures that inform policy discussions at the highest levels of government.
Analysts note that the balance between security and openness remains delicate, and the path forward will likely involve a mix of intelligence sharing, targeted checks, and collaborative border-management initiatives across Central Europe. The outcome will hinge on evolving migration trends, international cooperation, and the operational realities of border governance across the EU.