Laschet stopped by the border police: symbol policy or necessary measure?

Laschet stopped by the border police: symbol policy or necessary measure?

The former North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) was checked by the federal police on the Belgian border. During a trip from Aachen to Strasbourg, the officers stopped him in Winterpar, where he could demonstrate his identity. Laschet expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the border controls, which have been reintroduced since mid -September. He criticized the fact that the emergency services are missing at the limits to ensure safety at train stations and airports. According to Laschet, this is a symbolic policy that is not a sustainable solution, while federal police spokesman Stefan Döhn defended the controls as sensible.

In the two weeks since the control of the controls, over 200 unauthorized entry were registered at the NRW external borders to Belgium and the Netherlands and 99 people were rejected. The border controls also met with incomprehension among neighboring countries, which criticize the restrictions on movement in the Schengen area. Laschet emphasized that if he were Chancellor, a European coordination of such measures would be necessary. He also pointed out that the rejection at the border is often not the final solution, since refugees can take alternative ways to enter. More details on this topic are in a report www.sol.de to be found.