German border controls cost over €50M, sparking security and rights debate

According to government figures, the costs for the reintroduced controls at the German borders cost over 50 million euros every six months and are likely to rise further due to the latest tightening. On Thursday, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland quoted from the German government's response to a Green Party inquiry, which breaks down the costs from mid-September 2024 to the end of March 2025, i.e. before the new government intensifies controls.

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According to this, 50.9 million euros will be incurred for this period, of which 24.6 million euros alone will be for compensation for overtime and 18.9 million euros for the costs of hotel accommodation, meals and daily allowances. 4.1 million euros were spent on additional fuel for emergency vehicles and other “command and control equipment”, 3.2 million euros for containers, tents and toilets for the control posts. 4.2 million euros are additional personnel costs for “duty at inconvenient times”.

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Overall, the costs are likely to be significantly higher, as the RND further reports, as the additional costs for the operations at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland are not included in the list. In addition, further additional costs are to be expected in view of the recent tightening of measures by the new federal government.

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Green Party politician Marcel Emmerich, who had asked the question, told RND that border controls “swallow up hundreds of millions of euros in the long term - that is money that is lacking in crucial areas for our internal security”. A considerable part of the budget is being spent on "measures with dubious effects", while the emergency services are working at their limits, there is a shortage of personnel and there is a lack of investment in the security architecture, said the parliamentary group's domestic policy spokesperson.

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“This prioritization is inefficient and disproportionate,” continued Emmerich. Not only do the controls generate high costs, but they also "undermine the principles of the rule of law and at the same time jeopardize the protection of refugees who are prevented from exercising their right to asylum".