German Green Party politicians have aired their complaints about border checks imposed by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in an open letter to the European Commission, in another case of bickering among the fractious three-way governing coalition in Berlin.
The letter published on Monday, which is addressed to the European Commission and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, expresses concerns regarding the stationary controls introduced at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland.
The Green Party members argue that Germany, like seven other EU member states, is not acting in accordance with the rules that regulate movement in Europe's passport-free Schengen travel area. The free movement of people is one of the fundamental rights enshrined by the European Union.
To combat a rise in unauthorized migrant entries, Faeser ordered stationary controls be placed at the land crossings with the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland last October and notified the EU commission in Brussels.
Stationary controls with Austria have existed since 2015 and renewed multiple times to limit irregular migration and combat people- smuggling.
The controls are currently set to expire for Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland on December 15, and for Austria on November 11.
Controls were also conducted at the border with France during the Olympic Games in Paris and at all German borders during the European Football Championships in June.
Faeser, a Social Democrat, has described the checks as a success.
But the letter writers argue a recent analysis of the data showed that the effectiveness of the Interior Ministry's border measures are "highly questionable and in many cases not statistically proven."
They also cast doubt on the accuracy of the data being collected by the government and said that some people may have been unlawfully denied entry.
The police union has pointed out the enormous costs and denied the effectiveness of the checks.
The letter is signed by European Parliament members Anna Cavazzini and Erik Marquardt, Bundestag members Filiz Polat and Marcel Emmerich, and Brandenburg state parliament member Sahra Damus.
The Greens are part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition, which also includes his Social Democrats and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).
Infighting among the parties on a range of issues - from disagreements over the budget to the transition to a low-carbon economy - have spilled out in the public.
The FDP wants to maintain border checks. "As long as the migration pressure on Germany remains high, this measure is absolutely necessary," said Stephan Thomae, secretary of the party's parliamentary group in the Bundestag.
He said the checks must stay in place until the EU's asylum procedures are overhauled. The so-called Common European Asylum System is currently be hashed out among member states.
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