Commuters hoping for an end to Germany’s temporary Schengen controls will have to wait longer. In an interview published 12 June, North-Rhine Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) ruled out suspending checks at the land borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, citing continued migration pressure despite the new EU pact. Germany re-introduced the controls in September 2024 and has since extended them three times, most recently until mid-September 2026. Reul acknowledged he is ‘no ardent fan’ of internal borders but insisted the measure ‘helps restore order to the migration file’. His statement comes even as EU institutions argue the freshly implemented external-border screening should make such internal checks obsolete. For Belgian residents who cross daily into Aachen, Cologne or Düsseldorf for work, the decision means ongoing random stops and longer rush-hour queues on the E40 and E314 motorways. Rail passengers on the Brussels-Aachen ICE line have also reported periodic Bundespolizei ID inspections on board. Tour operators warn that coach itineraries to German Christmas markets—already on sale—may need revised timetables to account for potential hold-ups. Companies sending technicians into NRW are advised to carry both passports and residence cards and to factor in 30-minute buffers for client appointments. Diplomatically, Brussels is likely to raise the issue at the next Benelux-NRW regional forum, arguing that continued controls undermine the spirit of Schengen just as the EU upgrades its external screening regime.
Source: Express (DE)
