Austrian foreign minister criticises German border controls

Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger has criticised Germany’s continuing border controls with Austria, calling them a nuisance for people on both sides of the border, ORF reported.

Speaking in Innsbruck on Thursday, Meinl-Reisinger said the controls were an “annoyance for people” in Tyrol, Germany and Salzburg. They were also economically difficult because there was a great deal of cross-border activity in the region, she said.

Germany has maintained the controls for more than 10 years, including at the Kufsten-Kiefersfelden border crossing, where they regularly cause traffic jams and waiting times. The measures have repeatedly been judged contrary to EU law, but Germany has continued them despite legal complaints.

Meinl-Reisinger said she wanted the obstacles removed to make cross-border travel and business easier. Austria had also carried out controls directly at the border for years, she said, but now conducts targeted checks further inland.

“We should do everything we can to preserve freedom of movement within Europe,” the foreign and European affairs minister said. She added that targeted checks could be justified in specific cases, particularly when authorities had information indicating a need for them, while stronger protection of the European Union’s external borders should remain a priority.

Meinl-Reisinger was visiting the Management Center Innsbruck, a private university of applied sciences, at the invitation of the institution. She opened the academic year and delivered a guest lecture on “Austria in the world”.