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Netherlands implements border controls with Germany and Belgium

09.12.2024 15:00
Starting Monday, December 9, border controls will be implemented at the crossings between the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as between the Netherlands and Germany.
Dutch Minister for Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber, with the Royal Marechaussee, overseeing border controls as part of measures to enhance security along the Netherlands borders with Belgium and Germany.
Dutch Minister for Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber, with the Royal Marechaussee, overseeing border controls as part of measures to enhance security along the Netherlands' borders with Belgium and Germany.The Dutch Ministry for Asylum and Migration

Random checks conducted at these locations by the military police will remain in effect until June 2025.

The decision made by the government in The Hague is linked to the tightening of asylum policies aimed at combating illegal immigration and reducing cross-border crime.

Dutch authorities will use modern technologies to detect vehicles entering from Belgium or Germany for further, specialized inspection.

In the opinion of Marjolein Faber, the Dutch Minister for Asylum and Migration, the border controls will not cause traffic jams or impact the economic situation of border municipalities.

She believes that "the Coast Guard and Port Police play an important role in protecting the Dutch ports and maritime external borders," and therefore, through social media, she thanked them for their "tireless commitment" and "contribution to a safer Netherlands."

Critics of this solution argue that it may prove ineffective, as a total of only 50 people have been hired to carry out the checks, while there are over 800 places in the Netherlands where the border can be crossed – both on highways and through forest paths.

Source: IAR/X/@MinisterAenM

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