The Minister of Interior of France Bruni Retailleau has confirmed that his country will not implement fixed internal border controls with Luxembourg.
This assurance from Minister Retailleau was made during a meeting held in Paris with the Minister for Home Affairs of Luxembourg, Léon Gloden, Schengen.News reports.
Commenting on the tightened measures introduced by his country, Minister Retailleau noted that the target of these rules is not Luxembourg, suggesting that the aim is not to cause delays for cross-border traffic within the Schengen Area.
As RTL Today explains, France currently conducts targeted checks on national roads rather than having fixed controls.
Minister Gloden also commented on the matter. He said that despite France extending its border controls, regulatory adjustments have been made.
Moreover, Minister Gloden supported the increased use of mixed patrols between Luxembourg and France. As he revealed, the cooperation between the two countries has helped in preventing irregular entries and other illegal activities. Additionally, it was highlighted that since this cooperation has proven to be effective, the two countries will expand their cooperation.
France Reinstated Border Controls With All Neighbouring Countries in November 2024
France decided to reinstate internal border controls with all of its neighbouring Schengen countries on November 1, 2024. The measure was introduced in an attempt to combat irregular migration and terrorist threats.
As the French authorities explained back then, the border controls with Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy will remain in place until April 30, 2025.
However, in case the measure is deemed necessary and proves efficient, the authorities may decide to extend the measure beyond April.
While the reintroduction of border controls was not welcomed by everyone, the former Prime Minister of France, Michel Barnier, said in November of last year that this model has proven to be effective.
He also highlighted that the citizens of the country expect an effective policy to control immigration.
Only two weeks after France reinstated the measure, Luxembourg lawmakers called for the end of controls.
The Luxembourg lawmakers said that the border controls within the Schengen Area cannot be extended if the criteria to make such prolongations are not met. Additionally, they argued that the border controls should only remain as a last resort and not be introduced and extended regularly.
The Luxembourg lawmakers were also against the border controls introduced by Germany. They said that irregular migration should not be used as an excuse to impose additional checks within the free-movement area.
