Tightened EU Asylum Rules Take Effect, but Germany's Border Controls Remain in Place

Despite the rollout of the new system, the German government has signalled that it intends to keep its temporary land-border checks in place. In a written response to a query from broadcaster SWR, the interior ministry stated that "die vorübergehenden Binnengrenzkontrollen an den landseitigen deutschen Grenzen sind bis zum 15. September" — and that what happens after mid-September will depend on how effectively the new EU framework performs.

Background: A Two-Decade-Old Compromise Under Strain

The continuation of controls has long been a source of friction in border regions. On the Franco-German frontier at Lauterbourg, in the Alsace region opposite the southern Palatinate, checks have been a daily feature for the past 20 months. The federal police continue to turn people back toward France, and the controls were last expanded in 2024. Officials have consistently described the measures as a transitional arrangement rather than a permanent fixture.

Among German lawmakers, the picture is mixed. SPD security expert Daniel Baldy, who represents the Mainz constituency, welcomed the entry into force of the new asylum system. "Das bedeutet auch, dass Grenzkontrollen zeitnah abgebaut werden müssen, wie es an der luxemburgischen Grenze ja bereits eingeleitet wurde," he said, calling for border checks to be wound down quickly — as has already begun along the border with Luxembourg.

Political Reaction in Berlin and Rhineland-Palatinate

Baldy added that "diese Grenzkontrollen sind aus den bisherigen migrations- und sicherheitspolitischen Gründen weiterhin notwendig," underscoring that, in his view, ongoing checks remain justified on migration and security grounds for now.

Other members of the Bundestag are more critical. Julian Joswig of the Greens, who represents the Mosel/Rhein-Hunsrück constituency, accused the government of prioritising national symbolism over European law. "Wer jetzt weiter kontrolliert, stellt nationale Symbolpolitik über europäisches Recht," Joswig said. He argued that the first step should be the removal of checks on the borders with the Benelux countries and France, where, he said, the numbers of irregular entries and smuggling operations are already the lowest.

The political pressure comes largely from Rhineland-Palatinate, where residents and officials have grown accustomed to living next to Schengen-internal borders that, in practice, are policed much like external frontiers. Calls for Schengen rules to be fully restored — "Schengen muss endlich wieder gelten" — have grown louder as the EU's new asylum architecture comes online.

What Happens Next

Germany's interior minister, a member of the CSU, has faced dwindling support even from within the coalition. SPD figures in parliament have increasingly distanced themselves from the ministry's insistence on keeping controls in place, reflecting a broader shift in Berlin's domestic debate as the EU's reformed system begins to be tested in practice.

The European Commission has not publicly commented on Germany's decision to maintain its checks. Under EU law, member states may reintroduce temporary border controls in cases of serious threats to public policy or internal security, but such measures are supposed to be limited in time and proportionate.

For now, the federal police are expected to continue operations at the French, Luxembourg, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, Austrian, Czech, Polish and Danish land borders. The interior ministry has indicated that an assessment of the new EU asylum system's performance will be carried out before any decision is made on rolling back the controls.

The dual-track approach — a newly operational EU asylum regime alongside persistent national border checks — illustrates the tension between the bloc's ambition to harmonise migration policy and the willingness of individual member states to keep control of their frontiers. How that balance shifts after 15 September will depend on early indicators of how the reformed system is functioning.