Germany has attempted to stem the swelling tide of migrants to the country by introducing emergency border controls in a dramatic move that highlights the extraordinary pressures the refugee crisis is placing on Europe’s cherished system of free movement.
Thomas de Mazière, Germany’s interior minister, did not specify how long the measures would remain but he said they were “urgently needed” for reasons of security and to curb the huge number of migrants heading for Germany.
The rare move by Berlin to protect its borders and place restrictions on Europe’s Schengen zone goes against one of the EU’s core principles of allowing passport-free travel between most of the countries in the bloc.