Berlin, July 27, 2024, The Europe Today: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the necessity of reducing irregular migration into the country, stating that the number of arrivals must “come down.”
In an interview with the Saarbrücker Zeitung on Friday, Scholz highlighted the importance of border checks as a measure to limit the influx of irregular migrants. “In general, we intend to continue strictly controlling the German borders,” Scholz stated. “We want to limit irregular migration, as I have announced. The numbers have to come down.”
The chancellor acknowledged the crucial role of migration in addressing Germany’s significant demand for skilled workers. However, he expressed concern over the high number of irregular migrants. “There are too many who come to us irregularly, claiming to seek protection from persecution, but cannot provide any reasons for asylum and are then rejected,” Scholz remarked.
He pointed out the ongoing border checks at the French border, implemented for the duration of the Paris Olympic Games starting on Friday, which are set to continue until the end of September.
Measures to Control Irregular Migration
Germany reinstated border checks with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Poland late last year in response to increasing numbers of migrants and refugees entering the country. As a result, first-time asylum applications fell by 19% in the first six months of this year, totaling 121,416, according to police figures.
Authorities reported 9,172 unauthorized entries into Germany during the same period, with 6,401 people turned back. Many of those turned back were subject to re-entry bans or had not made an asylum request. Additionally, 275 suspected smugglers were provisionally arrested.
The European Union’s Schengen area is designed to be visa-free with no internal border checks between EU states. However, during the 2015 migration crisis, which saw over 1.3 million new arrivals in Europe, several EU members reintroduced border checks. These checks were reimposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and again during the Euro 2024 football tournament in June and July.
Chancellor Scholz’s call for reducing irregular migration underscores Germany’s ongoing efforts to balance the need for skilled labor with the management of migration flows.
