The Netherlands has begun tightening border controls at its borders with Germany and Belgium to combat irregular migration, Minister for Migration and Asylum Marjolein Faber announced on Monday.
Over the next six months, random checks and mobile inspections of vehicles and passengers on international trains will be conducted. However, general restrictions on border crossings are not planned.
The border police confirmed the initiation of temporary checks at internal borders under the Schengen Agreement, as directed by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. These measures are based on Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code, which allows member states to implement temporary checks in cases of a “serious threat to public order or national security.”
Nevertheless, the border police lack the capacity to establish permanent checkpoints, as is the case in Germany. Only 50 officers have been assigned to oversee the 840 border crossings. The timing and locations of the inspections will not be announced in advance. Police on motorcycles will stop vehicles based on risk analysis, including data from cameras and the origin of the vehicles.
The number of asylum applications in the Netherlands remains stable at approximately 40,000 per year.
