France will temporarily reinstate border controls with its immediate neighbours for six months from November, in its most widespread resumption of checks since the Schengen zone was created three decades ago. The government says the move is due to security threats and illegal migration.
Earlier this month, the French government notified the European Commission and six neighbouring states – Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain – that it would reintroduce border checks on land, air and sea routes from 1 November until at least April 2025.
It cited "serious threats to public policy, public order, and internal security posed by high-level terrorist activities, the growing presence of criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and smuggling, and migration flows that risk infiltration by radicalised individuals, as well as the irregular crossings on the Channel and North Sea borders, along with rising violence among migrants".
The decision came as a surprise to many who have grown accustomed to free movement within the European Union's so-called Schengen Zone.
Concerns are also being voiced about the practical implications of bringing back police checks, raising the spectre of delays at checkpoints and a potential backlog of cross-border travellers.
Widespread controls
While France has reinstated border checks several times since the creation of the Schengen Zone in 1995, such measures have typically been limited to specific routes.
The decision to apply them to all of its borders marks the most widespread resumption of controls to date.
Announcing the move on social media, France's conservative new Prime Minister Michel Barnier said that the public "expects us to have an effective policy to control immigration".
But rights organisations complain that France has repeatedly violated EU law by applying certain internal border controls since 2015, despite the Schengen Borders Code that says such controls should not exceed six months without "a new serious threat to public order".
They also believe the EU is allowing France to continue its "misuse" of border controls under the guise of security, the justification Paris has given for retightening its borders several times since the 2015 terror attacks.
EU countries tighten border checks amid security and migration fears
Following Germany's lead
France's decision mirrors action taken by Germany to bolster border security earlier this year.
Saying it wanted to crack down on irregular migration, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government announced on 16 September the restoration of temporary controls on all land borders.
Since then vehicles have still continued to cross borders relatively freely, with random spot checks or targeted inspections.
Travellers have also been reminded to carry valid identification, such as a national identity card or EU passport, when crossing borders.
Hard line on immigration
In France, newly appointed Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has been vocal about tightening immigration policies.
He has cited rising terrorist activities and the increase of criminal networks associated with illegal immigration as pressing concerns for public order and internal security.
Earlier this week, the minister listed a series of measures to police prefects across France that are designed to "amplify and systemise" removal measures aimed at foreign nationals likely to pose a threat to public order in France.
French government to table new immigration law in early 2025
