Several EU countries are reintroducing internal border checks, even as Bulgaria and Romania prepare to join the Schengen Area as full members.
Today, the Schengen Area includes 25 EU nations as well as non-EU countries like Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The ability to move freely between these countries is often described by the European Commission as one of the “crown jewels” of European integration. However, this jewel is beginning to lose its shine.
2024 has seen a surge in internal border checks, the highest since the Schengen Area’s creation. Germany has reintroduced checks along all its land borders with nine neighboring countries, a first since it joined Schengen. Controls had already been in place along the southern border with Austria since 2015 to curb migrant arrivals via the Balkan route. France also reintroduced checks in 2015, citing terrorism concerns, though they have been enforced sporadically.
Most countries only implement checks at specific border sections. Foreigners without valid documents or those banned from entry due to prior violations are turned back. Asylum seekers who apply at the border are generally allowed entry and taken to a reception center, as EU law prevents members from rejecting all asylum seekers.
On December 9, 2024, the Netherlands introduced controls on travelers from Germany and Belgium. Meanwhile, EU interior ministers approved Bulgaria and Romania’s full Schengen membership, effective January 1, 2025, which will end land border controls between these countries and the rest of the Schengen Area.
While the European Commission and Parliament stress that systematic internal border checks should be the “absolute exception,” each member state can implement controls for up to six months with a valid justification. These controls can be extended for up to two or three years in extreme cases. The Commission has yet to initiate formal proceedings against countries violating the Schengen Borders Code, even though some have maintained controls for over a decade.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser confirmed that Germany would continue its comprehensive border checks indefinitely, until migrant numbers drop to an unspecified level. The impact of these border controls remains debated. According to German police, who deploy up to 11,000 officers, tens of thousands of unauthorized entries have been attempted, with half being turned back. While the other half, apply for asylum. The police have also arrested human traffickers and enforced thousands of arrest warrants. However, the police union estimates that the actual number of unauthorized entries and turn backs is much lower, as controls are only possible at key points, and major roads and railways span Germany’s extensive 7,000-kilometer border.
