EU Commissioner Pressures Germany to Abandon Border Controls
EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner demands Germany phase out land border checks, despite Interior Ministry data showing the controls have detected 80,000 illegal entries and driven asylum claims down nearly 50 percent.
European Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner is demanding Germany dismantle its land border checks, arguing that falling migration numbers and new EU regulations justify opening the gates. The Austrian-born commissioner told German news agency DPA on July 16 that "because of the reforms, because the numbers are going down, I think it's time to gradually remove the internal border checks." His request asks Berlin to surrender authority over nine land borders to unelected Brussels officials, even as Germany's border controls deliver measurable security gains and maintain broad domestic political support.
Germany erected those controls on Sept. 16, 2024, when former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the Social Democratic Party responded to a deadly knife attack in Solingen and surging asylum claims. Her Christian Social Union successor Alexander Dobrindt extended the controls in March 2026 through at least Sept. 15, 2026. Both major parties recognize border security as essential, a rare instance of bipartisan consensus holding firm against EU pressure.
The Interior Ministry's numbers tell the story of what those controls have accomplished. Authorities detected approximately 80,000 illegal entries, arrested 1,900 migrant smugglers, and issued 47,000 refusals of entry since September 2024. Asylum applications plunged from 213,499 in 2024 to approximately 113,000 first-time applications in 2025, a 47 percent decline. First-time applications fell approximately 51 percent, from 230,000 to 113,236. The downward trend continued into 2026, with applications dropping another 38 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year.
The EU Commission attempts to reframe the narrative with its own statistics. Brunner points to a 40 percent drop in illegal border crossings in 2026 and a 37 percent decline in illegal migration during the first six months. Frontex reports irregular crossings fell by about one-third in the first half of 2026. Yet the EU's own Entry/Exit System, fully operational since April 2026, has logged 110 million entries and exits while preventing more than 44,000 entries. Improved detection technology, not reduced migration pressure, appears to explain much of that decline.
The human toll of border disputes extends beyond statistics. The Koblenz Administrative Court ruled on April 27 that a specific identity check at the Germany-Luxembourg border was unlawful, finding the government failed to demonstrate the threat was sudden and exceptional. Germany plans to appeal, and Dobrindt confirmed checks would continue regardless. About 50,000 Germans commute daily to work in Luxembourg, and border communities have lodged serious complaints about the economic and social costs. The Commission acknowledged those complaints in its June 2 opinions.
Dobrindt rejected the EU's formal request on June 4 in Luxembourg. "The significant number of pushback, illegal migration, the seizure of smuggling gangs, all of this shows how effective these border roles are and that is why we want to continue them," he told Euronews. He added, "We are always flexible, always talking, always adaptable. But yes, we want to further develop border controls, but we will also need these border controls further."
The European Commission's June 2 formal opinions recommended all nine countries with internal border controls "work towards phasing out and gradually lifting internal border controls." Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen stated, "Schengen is one of Europe's greatest achievements. It symbolises freedom of movement for over 450 million people. Our opinions send a clear message: where controls are reintroduced, they must remain temporary and exceptional." France, Austria and Sweden have maintained controls continuously since 2015, exposing the EU's selective demands on nations facing genuine migration pressures while tolerating long-standing exceptions.
Germany's controls began in September 2024 and approach the Schengen Borders Code's two-year limit for internal border checks as a "measure of last resort" in "exceptional situations." The EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which Brunner cites as justification for lifting controls, entered force June 12 and includes a controversial Return Regulation allowing EU countries to establish deportation centers outside the bloc. Human Rights Watch warned the pact will "take a sledgehammer to asylum rights." The EU demands Germany open its borders while simultaneously enabling forced removals to third countries, a contradiction that undermines the legitimacy of Brussels' demands on German sovereignty.