The EU Commission is urging Germany and eight other Schengen countries to end internal border controls, arguing that such checks should be temporary and exceptional under EU law.

Internal border controls can only be maintained for up to a year with possible extensions under EU law, but beyond 12 months the Commission reviews necessity and proportionality and considers alternatives.

Brussels contends that new digital border-control systems at external borders, along with a forthcoming asylum package, reduce the need for internal Schengen border checks.

Updates on developments are expected as the situation evolves.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational in April 2026, though implementation is not complete at all ports, causing delays at some airports and at the France-UK border juxtaposition.

The reforms align with a new EU migration and asylum pact, introducing fast-track asylum procedures at external borders and stricter rules, set to take effect in mid-June 2026.

Henna Virkkunen emphasizes that any controls reintroduced must be temporary and exceptional.

Brussels is reportedly scrutinizing Germany’s border controls for the first time, noting extensions through mid-September 2026 after earlier measures dating to the 2015 crisis.

While Germany faces a complex migration situation, the Commission says the available data does not show how the threat maps to specific border segments or how reintroducing controls would effectively reduce security threats.

The new pact is expected to drive policy shifts toward better management of unauthorized crossings and a stronger EU-wide migration approach.

The Pact on Migration and Asylum, along with the EES and the upcoming ETIAS, aims to strengthen external-border management and enable the phased lifting of internal controls.

ETIAS, planned for the end of 2026, and the EES are highlighted as key tools for monitoring who enters and leaves the EU, where crossings occur, and when.