Rhine cities: Kehl and Strasbourg: Grenz-Appell to Merz unanswered

A Franco-German border appeal to Chancellor Friedrich Merz ((CDU), according to the authors from Kehl and Strasbourg, initially remained without reaction. Kehl’s mayor Wolfram Britz and his Strasbourg counterpart Jeanne Barseghian had jointly contacted the Chancellor in writing in mid -May and complained about the increased border controls. The letter was connected to the invitation to a visit.

As the two city leaders of the Rhine cities now reported, they have so far received no response to their criticism, according to which the increased controls significantly impair life in the Franco-German metropolitan area.

The non-party Britz and the Greens politician Barseghian now wrote together to the French Member of Parliament Brigitte Klinkert. The Alsatian already had various ministerial offices in Paris. As the city of Kehl announced, the two city leaders demand the intensity of the controls to be returned to the measure they had before May 8th.

The reason for the new letter is the Schengen anniversary

According to Kehler, the reason for the second letter was information from the 40th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement. On June 14, 1985, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands in Schengen agreed to gradually reduce border controls. Today, 29 countries with around 420 million inhabitants belong to the Schengen area.

The controls reinforced since May 8 are economically noticeable according to Kehler and Strasbourg assessment. In Kehler shops, fewer customers come from the neighboring region of Strasbourg.

Traffic jam on the Europabrücke

Cars are often stowed on the European bridge between Strasbourg and Kehl due to the increased controls. Many Alsatians drive to work and shop in neighboring Baden-Württemberg.

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) had intensified border controls a few hours after taking office. At the same time, he ordered that asylum seekers can also be rejected at the border. According to the minister, the number of rejections rose by almost half within a week.