Calls to restore free movement on Germany’s eastern frontier grew louder on 19 February after Brandenburg’s Finance and Europe Minister Robert Crumbach publicly asked Berlin to drop the temporary controls at the Polish land border no later than the coming summer season.
Germany re-introduced Schengen-internal checks on the Polish, Czech and Austrian borders in October 2023, citing irregular migration and security risks. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has since prolonged the measure several times, most recently extending it to 15 September 2026. According to federal police, the controls prevented roughly 67,000 unauthorised entries between September 2024 and December 2025, but critics say they also delayed legitimate commuters and freight, strained local economies and sent mixed signals to international investors.
For travellers, employers and logistics planners dealing with the fluctuating border regime, VisaHQ offers a convenient one-stop solution. Its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) provides real-time updates on Schengen entry requirements, personalised visa support and document processing—helping cross-border workers and companies stay compliant and avoid costly delays.
![Brandenburg minister urges end to German-Polish border controls by summer 2026]()
Crumbach argued that the forthcoming reform of the EU’s Common European Asylum System (GEAS)—scheduled to take effect in June 2026—will provide stronger external-border screening and make interior checks “redundant”. He warned that continued inspections risk deterring cross-border workers, depressing tourism revenues in Brandenburg’s Lusatia and Lower Silesia regions and complicating supply chains for companies that rely on just-in-time deliveries from Poland.
Brandenburg’s Interior Minister René Wilke (SPD) echoed the call, saying regional administrations “need planning certainty” to prepare infrastructure projects co-financed with Polish partners. Business associations in Frankfurt (Oder) and Zielona Góra welcomed the statement, noting that waiting times at the A12/Korczowa motorway crossing have doubled at peak hours since late 2025.
The Federal Interior Ministry maintains that spot-checks remain “necessary and proportionate”, pointing to persistent smuggling networks. Mobility managers should nevertheless monitor the political debate: if pressure to end the controls gains traction, companies might soon regain a friction-free corridor for staff shuttling and supply movements between Germany and Poland.
Germany re-introduced Schengen-internal checks on the Polish, Czech and Austrian borders in October 2023, citing irregular migration and security risks. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has since prolonged the measure several times, most recently extending it to 15 September 2026. According to federal police, the controls prevented roughly 67,000 unauthorised entries between September 2024 and December 2025, but critics say they also delayed legitimate commuters and freight, strained local economies and sent mixed signals to international investors.
For travellers, employers and logistics planners dealing with the fluctuating border regime, VisaHQ offers a convenient one-stop solution. Its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) provides real-time updates on Schengen entry requirements, personalised visa support and document processing—helping cross-border workers and companies stay compliant and avoid costly delays.
Crumbach argued that the forthcoming reform of the EU’s Common European Asylum System (GEAS)—scheduled to take effect in June 2026—will provide stronger external-border screening and make interior checks “redundant”. He warned that continued inspections risk deterring cross-border workers, depressing tourism revenues in Brandenburg’s Lusatia and Lower Silesia regions and complicating supply chains for companies that rely on just-in-time deliveries from Poland.
Brandenburg’s Interior Minister René Wilke (SPD) echoed the call, saying regional administrations “need planning certainty” to prepare infrastructure projects co-financed with Polish partners. Business associations in Frankfurt (Oder) and Zielona Góra welcomed the statement, noting that waiting times at the A12/Korczowa motorway crossing have doubled at peak hours since late 2025.
The Federal Interior Ministry maintains that spot-checks remain “necessary and proportionate”, pointing to persistent smuggling networks. Mobility managers should nevertheless monitor the political debate: if pressure to end the controls gains traction, companies might soon regain a friction-free corridor for staff shuttling and supply movements between Germany and Poland.
