European Commission Urges Nine Countries to Lift Internal Border Controls

The European Commission has issued non-binding opinions urging nine Schengen countries—Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Sweden—to gradually lift internal border controls that have persisted for over 12 months. The Commission argues that systematic checks disrupt businesses and cross-border workers and should be replaced by risk-based police checks, mobile biometric identification, and vehicle-tracking technologies.

This push follows the April 2026 implementation of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) and the anticipated launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), alongside the Pact on Migration and Asylum. These tools, combined with a reported 40% decrease in irregular border crossings during the first four months of 2026, are intended to strengthen external border oversight and render internal checks unnecessary.

The Commission specifically highlighted Germany, which has maintained partial controls since 2015, noting significant difficulties for local communities and businesses at the borders with Poland, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. While acknowledging that current controls were based on legitimate security and migratory concerns, EU officials emphasized that internal measures must remain temporary and exceptional to preserve freedom of movement for the area's 450 million residents.