• Friday, 27 December 2024

German police increase border checks as G7 summit approaches

German police increase border checks as G7 summit approaches

Just under two weeks before the start of a G7 summit of world leaders in Bavaria, Germany has introduced extra security checks at all its external borders.

Officials are trying to keep restrictions to a minimum, a police spokesperson said on Monday. The operation was focussed on stopping the arrival of possible perpetrators of violence, he said. Checks are being carried out on the roads entering Germany, as well as on trains and along hiking trails. The heads of state and government of the G7 countries will meet at Schloss Elmau from June 26-28. The G7 includes Germany, France, Britain, Italy, the US, Canada and Japan. Several demonstrations with thousands of participants are expected in the surrounding area. Checks at the internal EU border between Germany and Austria have in fact been in place since autumn 2015, at the time of the European migrant crisis. The temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement at the border has been repeatedly extended or newly ordered. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the worsened global political situation made extra security precautions all the more important.