Salzburg and Bavaria

No German controls at our borders

The border crossing at Grödig-Hangendenstein is also deserted.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

For almost two weeks now, strict controls have also been in place at the German border with Salzburg. The announcement by Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser was checked during the "Krone" local inspection - the result raises many questions.

Border officials look past the car, bored. They are engrossed in conversation, apparently uninterested in the black station wagon with the Austrian sign. Yet for almost two weeks now, stricter controls have been in place at all of Germany's external borders. This was announced  by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). 

In addition to the fixed controls, the German authorities are also relying on border patrols and checks a few kilometers behind the border.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

What has changed for Austria, especially Salzburg, since then? Nothing. German police officers have been standing at the Walserberg and checking suspicious vehicles since 2015. Buses and vans are their favorites. For commuters, the border posts have only been an annoying speed brake ever since.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

"The checks on Austria are still only temporary," says Jan-Uwe Polte from the federal police. His colleagues are mainly on the highway at Walserberg. The crossings at Dürrnberg, Grödig and Kleiner Walserberg are mostly deserted. "That doesn't mean we don't check here," says Polte. The Germans are increasingly relying on dragnet searches and controls in the interior of the country. The most stringent checks are carried out by rail. Almost everyone is checked when crossing the border by train.

Everything else, however, is more or less left to chance, despite Faeser's promises. This was only the case on Friday. Patrol officers noticed a suspicious car with Hungarian license plates and caught a smuggler after a wild chase near Bad Reichenhall - the "Krone" reported. A purely accidental interception.

Faeser is also facing opposition from the officers themselves. The police union has already spoken out. It is convinced that the increased controls have not curbed illegal migration in the slightest.