BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday he expected to soon end border controls after EU countries backed a significant tightening of Europe&#39;s migration policy.&nbsp;The new measures, supported by EU interior ministers in Brussels on Monday, include setting up &quot;return hubs&quot; outside the 27-nation bloc for failed asylum seekers.&nbsp;Merz said the plans meant that &quot;we will be able to shift border controls to Europe&#39;s external borders&quot; but without specifying when German border controls may be lifted.&nbsp;Germany first introduced border checks with its nine neighbours in September 2024 under former chancellor Olaf Scholz, aiming to curb irregular immigration and heighten security.&nbsp;Merz&#39;s government further tightened border checks when it took power in May, moving to boost police numbers and reject most asylum seekers as part of a crackdown on migration.&nbsp;Members of Europe&#39;s Schengen area are allowed to temporarily reintroduce border controls for up to two years in response to serious threats such as terrorism or large-scale unauthorised migration.&nbsp;Speaking in the western city of Mainz, Merz said that he had &quot;always considered the border controls to be something of limited duration&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;If a common European asylum policy is launched in the European Union, that will be exactly what we always wanted,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The new measures agreed in Brussels must still be approved by the European Parliament before coming into force.&nbsp;As well as return hubs outside the EU, they also threaten penalties for migrants who refuse to leave European territory, including longer periods of detention.&nbsp;Migrants could also be returned to countries that are not their countries of origin, but which Europe considers &quot;safe&quot;.

Europe

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany may soon end border controls after EU interior ministers approved stricter migration measures, including return hubs outside the bloc, penalties for non-compliant migrants, and shifting controls to Europe’s external borders.

Articles tagged with "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz"

New EU rules mean Germany can soon end border controls: Merz