German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized on Friday the need to reduce irregular migration to Germany. In an interview with the Saarbrücker Zeitung, Scholz highlighted the importance of border checks to manage the number of arrivals. He explained that last year saw a rise in irregular migration, but first-time asylum applications in Germany have since decreased by 19% in the first six months of this year.
Scholz asserted that controlling Germany’s borders is crucial to limit irregular migration. He reiterated that the numbers must decrease, as he had previously announced. Scholz also acknowledged Germany’s need for skilled workers to fill significant gaps in the labor market, stating that migration is both necessary and desired. However, he pointed out that many individuals claim asylum without valid reasons and are subsequently rejected.
The chancellor mentioned current border checks, such as those at the French border during the Olympic Games in Paris, which began on Friday and will continue until the end of September. These checks are part of Germany’s broader efforts to control irregular migration.
To address rising levels of migrants and refugees, Germany reintroduced checks at its borders with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Poland late last year. This measure has contributed to a decrease in first-time asylum applications by 20% in the first half of this year, totaling 121,416 people, according to police figures.
Despite this reduction, German authorities reported 9,172 unauthorized entries, including 6,401 people who were turned back. Those turned back either faced re-entry bans or did not request asylum. Additionally, 275 suspected smugglers were provisionally arrested.
The European Union’s Schengen area is designed to be visa-free, without internal border checks between member states. However, during the 2015 migration crisis, which saw over 1.3 million new arrivals, several EU members reintroduced checks. These checks reappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic and again in Germany during the Euro 2024 football tournament in June and July.
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