Cross-border commuters, day-trippers and locals will have to be patient again from June onwards for the European Football Championship - then border controls will be reintroduced between Mittenwald and Scharnitz. The goal: to prevent violent hooligans and Islamist threats from entering Germany.
Mittenwald – As reported, not only the partial legalization of cannabis has an impact on the border with Scharnitz. The European Football Championship, which starts on June 14th with the DFB team's game against Scotland in Munich, will also ensure temporary border controls by the federal police. No exact date has been set yet. “The Federal Ministry of the Interior has to determine this,” police spokesman Thomas Borowik told the Tagblatt. But officials are relaxed about the plan. After all, the region has enough experience with internal border controls - not least because of the two G7 summits in 2015 and 2022 in Schloss Elmau. The law enforcement officers also confirm this: “The federal police are prepared for the reintroduction of temporary internal border controls.”
For locals, cross-border commuters and holidaymakers, however, monitoring means having to be patient
For locals, cross-border commuters and holidaymakers, however, monitoring means having to be patient. After all, controls are associated with waiting times and traffic jams, especially on weekends and public holidays, when experience shows that day-trippers and holidaymakers make a pilgrimage across the border in large numbers.
But the experiences during the two summit meetings also show that the campaign was certainly successful: in 2015 and 2022, numerous smugglers and arms smugglers, among other things, were caught online (we reported). According to evaluations by the Federal Statistical Office, around 78 percent of Germans support the announced measures, while only 4 percent reject them in every respect.
Hooligans and Islamist threats targeted
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has expressed concerns about security at the European Championships in Germany in the past. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) therefore confirmed some time ago: “We are examining the implementation of temporary border controls at the internal borders during the tournament in order to be able to prevent possible violent criminals from entering the country.”
According to media reports, an internal report from the Federal Police shows that border controls are recommended to prevent hooligans, but also Islamist threats, from entering the event. The controls would therefore be introduced two weeks before the start of the tournament and end again one week afterwards. This means that police officers will be stationed at the border between Scharnitz and Mittenwald from around June 1st to July 20th.
Regardless of the border controls, the federal police also make their “contribution to a safe EM” at train stations, Borowik continues. Cross-border trains and buses are also being monitored more closely. According to reports, around 5,000 Scottish fans are expected in the district. As reported, the Bravehearts are visiting Garmisch-Partenkirchen and are setting up tents for their training camp there. Citizens can expect an increased police presence there too.