Germany to introduce border controls for G20 Summit

German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere announced a plan to introduce controls at German borders during the upcoming G20 summit, German newspaper Die Welt reported Wednesday.


A ministry spokesperson confirmed that Germany's Schengen Area borders would be controlled "based on the increased security requirements."

Heads of state and government will confer at the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7 and 8.

The ministry has not disclosed the timing and extent of the border controls, which will be announced directly before the operations for "police tactical reasons." The controls will be adapted flexibly as needed and aim to prevent perpetrators of violence from entering Germany and interfering with the summit.

De Maiziere already informed the European Council, the European Commission, EU-member states, the conference of interior ministers, and the city of Hamburg in a letter. The letter stated that border controls were required for the summit in light of the "tense security situation characterized by terrorism."

Security experts have voiced their concern that potentially violent, left-wing extremists from, for example, Denmark or Italy, would travel to Hamburg, according to the Welt report.

The introduction of border controls would also help shed light on migration patterns, according to internal affair experts. The federal police recorded a significant decline in unauthorized entries while over 10,000 refugees still apply for asylum each month.
 [china.org.cn/globaltimes.cn/Xinhua]
18/5/17