Speaking during a visit to Salzburg on 19 July, EU Migration Commissioner – and former Austrian finance minister – Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) said the time had come to suspend the temporary controls that Germany maintains on its border with Austria. The checks were introduced in 2015 at the height of Europe’s refugee crisis and have been prolonged every six months ever since. According to Brunner, irregular crossings on the route have fallen by 37 % in the first half of 2026 and by 55 % in the past two years, showing that “we have regained control” of the situation. The call puts Vienna in an awkward position. Interior-minister Gerhard Karner has sided with his German counterpart Nancy Faeser in favour of keeping the checks, arguing that they deter smugglers and help police catch fugitives wanted on European arrest warrants. At a recent bilateral meeting the two ministers agreed to continue joint patrols and random inspections at Walserberg and other crossings. Business groups, however, complain that freight delays are adding cost and uncertainty to cross-border supply chains. Brunner’s argument is echoed by motorists and holiday-makers interviewed by ORF at the Walserberg checkpoint. Most said the mandatory stop costs them up to an hour in peak periods and is “no longer proportionate” now that migration numbers are falling. Tourism operators in Salzburg and Bavaria fear a renewed summer of tailbacks just as the high season peaks. Under the Schengen Code, internal border controls should be a last resort and strictly time-limited. In April the European Court of Justice already warned that some member states were stretching the legal basis for repeated extensions. If Austria were to align with Brunner’s position, it could strengthen the Commission’s hand in persuading Berlin to let the scheme lapse when the current authorisation ends in October. For companies moving staff and goods across the alpine corridor, the political tug-of-war is more than symbolism. Freight forwarders estimate that each additional 15-minute wait adds about €80 in driver and fuel costs per lorry. Multinationals running just-in-time production lines between Bavaria and Upper Austria are therefore watching the next decision date closely – and urging both capitals to adopt the risk-based, intelligence-led controls that the Commission advocates instead of blanket checks.
Source: ORF Salzburg
