Germany's Merz defends border control policy after Polish retaliation

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday defended his administration's policy on border controls amid growing criticism from neighbouring countries.

"We must at this time keep border controls, because the protection of the external European borders is not sufficiently guaranteed," Merz said in Berlin, shortly after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced checks on the border with Germany would begin next week, in a seemingly tit-for-tat move.

Merz said that he had discussed the issue with Tusk on several occasions and that the two leaders want to work together to minimize the burden. "We have a common problem here that we want to solve together," he said.

He also firmly rejected Polish media reports claiming that asylum seekers who have already been accepted in Germany are being returned to Poland.

"Some people here are claiming that there is a kind of repatriation tourism from Germany to Poland and that they are then practically being taken back across the border to Poland," said the chancellor, who took office in May. That is not the case."

Speaking at a meeting with Luxembourgish Prime Minister Luc Frieden in Berlin, Merz said the controls on Germany's borders are temporary and that disruption is being kept "as small as possible" for cross-border commuters, a major issue in Luxembourg.

"We do not want to hinder those who commute daily," said the chancellor.

The Luxembourgish leader, meanwhile, called for increased police cooperation to reduce or get rid of controls.

Friden says he stands by "the principle that illegal immigration is intolerable" but insisted that economic cooperation within the EU's internal borders must not be disrupted.