EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner called on Germany and eight other Schengen states to dismantle their internal border controls, telling the Funke Media Group on June 6 that a phased withdrawal is “possible and also appropriate.” The demand comes exactly one week before the new European Asylum System (GEAS) enters into force on June 12. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt immediately pushed back, insisting the checks have had a “clearly positive effect” on migration.
The commissioner’s logic rests on two pillars. First, asylum application numbers have fallen “drastically,” Brunner said, removing the emergency justification for the controls. Second, the GEAS reform package — which mandates faster processing at external borders, a unified entry-exit system, and a burden-sharing mechanism across all 27 member states — should now handle the pressure that internal borders were temporarily absorbing.
The timing is precise. Germany first reintroduced checks at its land border with Austria in September 2015 during the peak of the Syrian refugee crisis. What began as a six-month emergency measure has been renewed 17 times.
In October 2023, Berlin extended the controls to its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. The current authorization expires in December 2024, but Dobrindt has signaled he wants them to continue indefinitely. Dobrindt did not mince words.
The CSU minister, whose party faces a tough regional election in Bavaria this fall, told reporters that the border checks are a proven tool. His ministry points to data showing a 20% drop in unauthorized entries at the German-Austrian border in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. For a government under intense domestic pressure from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), those numbers are political oxygen.
But the legal ground is shifting beneath Dobrindt’s feet. The Schengen Borders Code permits internal checks only as a “last resort” under “exceptional circumstances” and on a “temporary” basis. The European Court of Justice ruled in April 2022 that a member state cannot extend controls beyond six months without a fresh, serious threat assessment.
Germany has not produced a new one. It has relied on the same “persistent secondary migration” argument for nearly a decade. “The policy says one thing. The reality says another.”
Brunner is now forcing the conversation into the open. In his interview with Funke, he stressed that the new GEAS framework specifically targets the problem Germany cites — secondary migration, where asylum seekers registered in one EU country travel to another. The reform introduces a mandatory border procedure for applicants from countries with low recognition rates, keeping them at external facilities while their claims are fast-tracked.
Those rejected will be returned directly from the external border. In theory, this removes the incentive to move north. “The right to asylum remains,” Brunner said, adding there is “no doubt” about that. But he also demanded minimum standards at the new external border centers — access to healthcare and education for asylum seekers. “Fair living conditions must prevail,” he told Funke.
That language is a direct response to criticism from human rights organizations. Amnesty International and Pro Asyl have warned that the accelerated border procedures risk creating de facto detention camps with inadequate legal representation. Brunner’s insistence on standards is an attempt to preempt a legal and reputational crisis before the centers open.
What this actually means for your family. For the 1.3 million people who crossed into the EU irregularly in 2023, according to Frontex data, the new system changes the calculation. A Syrian family reaching the Greek islands will no longer be able to move on to Berlin while their case crawls through a backlogged system.
They will be processed at the border, and if granted protection, assigned to a member state under a mandatory relocation quota. For German commuters and businesses, the internal border controls have been a daily friction point. The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) estimates that border checks cost the logistics sector €1.2 billion annually in delays.
A truck crossing from Austria to Germany now faces an average 45-minute wait during peak hours, up from near-zero before 2015. The Austrian government has repeatedly complained that the checks violate the spirit of the single market. The eight other Schengen states maintaining controls are Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Sweden.
Each has its own domestic political calculus. France has used them since the 2015 Paris attacks, citing terrorism. Sweden and Denmark cite gang violence.
Austria’s checks on its border with Slovenia and Hungary are a direct mirror of Germany’s own policy — a domino effect Brunner wants to stop. Both sides claim victory. Here are the numbers.
Germany’s Federal Police recorded 127,000 unauthorized entries in 2023, down from 202,000 in 2016. But the drop is not uniform. While entries via the Balkan route fell, arrivals via the Mediterranean to Italy surged 50% in 2023, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Many of those people eventually head north. The question is whether border checks stop them or simply push them to more dangerous crossing points. Frontex data shows a 30% increase in detections at the Polish-Belarus border in early 2024, where controls are intense, but also a rise in crossings via the Swiss Alps, where checks are sparser.
Brunner’s push is not happening in a vacuum. The European Commission has launched infringement procedures against several member states for extending controls without proper justification. In May 2024, the Commission sent a formal notice to Germany questioning the proportionality of its latest extension.
The legal process could end up at the European Court of Justice, but a political resolution is far more likely — and far messier. Why It Matters:
A forced removal of German border controls would be the most significant test of EU migration solidarity since 2015. If Berlin complies, it signals that the new asylum system has teeth and that national governments trust it. If Berlin refuses, it fractures the Schengen zone’s legal foundation and emboldens other states to ignore Brussels.
For the 3.5 million people living in border regions who cross daily for work, school, or family, the outcome determines whether their commute remains a bureaucratic obstacle course. The next flashpoint is June 12, when GEAS formally takes effect. Brunner has not set a deadline for removing controls, but his language — “possible and also appropriate” — suggests he expects movement within months, not years.
The European Council summit on June 27-28 will be the first test of whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz is willing to defy his own interior minister and align with Brussels. Austria’s position adds another layer. Brunner is Austrian, and Vienna has been one of the staunchest defenders of internal controls, often citing Germany’s own policy as justification.
If Germany folds, Austria loses its cover. The domino effect Brunner wants to stop could, in fact, start with his own home country. The asylum centers at the external borders are not yet built.
The mandatory relocation quotas have no enforcement mechanism. The unified entry-exit system is behind schedule. Brunner is asking for trust in a system that does not yet exist.
Dobrindt is betting that voters will not give it. Watch for the June 27-28 summit. If Scholz signals a timeline for phasing out controls, the Schengen map could look very different by Christmas.
If he does not, the legal fight moves to Luxembourg — and the political fight moves to the Bavarian election campaign.
Key Takeaways
— - EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner called for Germany and eight other states to phase out Schengen internal border controls, citing falling asylum numbers and the upcoming GEAS reform.
— - German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt immediately rejected the demand, saying the controls have had a “clearly positive effect” on migration and will remain in place.
— - The new European Asylum System, effective June 12, mandates faster processing at external borders and a mandatory relocation quota, designed to eliminate the need for internal checks.
— - A political standoff now looms ahead of the June 27-28 European Council summit, with potential legal action from the Commission if Germany refuses to comply.
Source: DW Nachrichten
