German federal police at the Füssen border tunnel intercepted two vehicles arriving from Tyrol on the evening of 11 October and discovered eight Moldovan nationals who had allegedly overstayed Schengen limits for up to three years. The group, accompanied by two Romanian drivers, claimed they were travelling to North Rhine-Westphalia for short-term contract work in trade-fair construction. Document checks revealed none of the Moldovans held valid residence permits or work authorisations. One Romanian is now in pre-trial detention on suspicion of people smuggling, while the second faces charges of aiding and abetting. The Moldovans were flown from Memmingen airport to Chișinău on 12 October under accelerated return procedures. The incident underscores heightened secondary-movement vigilance along Germany’s frontier with Austria, where temporary Schengen border controls remain in force until at least March 2027. For Austrian employers that source subcontractors from Eastern Europe, the case serves as a warning that workers transiting Austria en route to other EU markets may still trigger liability if paperwork is deficient. Mobility teams should audit third-party staffing chains to ensure posted workers have the correct Austrian registration and EU work rights before onward travel. Logistics managers moving goods northward should anticipate sporadic delays at the A7 and A8 corridors whenever German police intensify spot checks. Although the individuals originated outside Austria, the fact that they entered Germany from Austrian territory places Vienna in the spotlight over internal Schengen migration routes—an issue likely to influence forthcoming talks on reforming EU freedom-of-movement safeguards.
Source: Heute.at
