Germany isn't building walls to put an end to mass migration. But the country is tightening its borders and, in turn, prompting a fresh debate about the future of the European Union.
Under EU rules that allow European citizens to travel visa-free between countries, member states can "temporarily" restrict border crossings in the event of a "serious threat," said CNN, and the move must be a last resort. The crackdown comes after a Syrian man linked to ISIS killed three people in Solingen last month. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has come under pressure amid the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany party and its "explicitly anti-immigrant and anti-Islam agenda."
Some of Germany's many neighbors are unhappy, said The Associated Press. And the rules are a far cry from a decade ago, when then-Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed more than a million asylum seekers. Now, one German official said, it's necessary to protect against the dangers of "Islamist terrorism and serious crime."
What did the commentators say?
"This is seismic," Isabel Oakeshott said at The Telegraph. The "free movement of people" has been a "fundamental tenet" of the European project, and now, suddenly, it appears to be "disintegrating." Germany is tightening its borders because it's in "crisis," having welcomed not just Merkel-era refugees but also another million Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia. "Doing away with national borders in an age of global migration is a recipe for disaster."
"Parties on the far right are celebrating," Maurice Stierl said at The Guardian. But new rules won't put an end to migration or the reasons people flee from one country to the other, including "wars and conflict, political persecution and oppression." The border checks may not accomplish their intended goals. Instead, Germany's government "risks putting the EU itself in jeopardy."
What next?
It's possible that the EU could "take Germany to court," said Euronews. But other countries are also playing defense against the rise of far-right parties, one expert said, which means EU officials may not have the stomach for a legal fight.
One person celebrating? Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been a "staunchly conservative voice advocating against migration," said Politico. Hungary has been punished by the EU for its anti-asylum rules. Now, said Orbán, he has a message for Scholz: "Welcome to the club." | 
