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The stationary border controls announced by Germany are already having an impact on Switzerland. For example, the introduced controls in Kreuzlingen TG temporarily led to traffic jams.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Office for Customs and Border Protection (BAZG) confirmed this to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday. When traveling to Germany, traffic jams and associated waiting times may currently occur due to the increased controls by the German authorities. Depending on traffic volume, the situation could change quickly, the report said.

There were also some waiting times in Basel. For example, eight of the eleven trams on the cross-border tram line 8 from Basel to Weil am Rhein (D) were delayed on Tuesday morning. Currently, customs checks at the Weil-Friedlingen border crossing are becoming increasingly noticeable, says a spokesperson for Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) when asked. However, this is a snapshot and may change at any time.

Combat the ‘smuggling crime’.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) announced stationary controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland on Monday. Border controls can be extended by a total of two months.

Faeser justified her decision, which will initially be in force for ten days at the newly informed border sections, with the limitation of irregular migration. Moreover, Faeser’s goal with this measure is to “fight smuggling crime even more strongly,” according to her ministry. According to the Interior Ministry, German police detected around 98,000 unauthorized entries into Germany from early January to early October.

Faeser emphasized that it was particularly important to her “that the controls have as little impact as possible on the daily lives of commuters, on trade and on travel.” According to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), she also confirmed this in a telephone conversation with federal councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (SP). For her part, the head of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Police reminded her counterpart “of the close interconnectedness of the border regions,” as the SEM wrote at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency.

Control extended to Austria

Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann welcomed the introduction of controls at Germany’s border with Switzerland: “This is a building block that is part of it,” the Green politician said in Stuttgart on Tuesday.

Since the 2015/2016 refugee crisis, stationary checks in Germany have only taken place at the borders with Austria. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, they will now be extended again. According to the European Commission, controls in Austria will initially remain in place until May 11 next year. (saw/sda)