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Germany
Monday, 9.9.2024 16:27 The ’far-right’ anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won state elections in the state of Thuringia last week and came second in another state, Saxony. Germany's coalition government has been consulting with the main "conservative opposition’ CDU and CSU parties on ways to curb migration in the face of public concern. German Interior Ministry Faeser's Social Democrats are facing a state election in Brandenburg in two weeks, where her party - which is also that of Chancellor Olaf Scholz - governs in coalition with the Greens and Christian Democrats. The German Interior Ministry has announced an extension of passport controls along all of the country's land borders, aimed at curbing the number of people entering Germany without visas to limit irregular migration and address threats from Islamist terror groups and cross-border criminal organizations. In response to a sharp increase in first-time asylum requests last year, Germany had already imposed some repeatedly extended stricter controls on its borders with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Switzerland. Germany shares more than 3,700 kilometers of land borders with Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. All are fellow members of the Schengen Zone, within which there are usually no restrictions and checks on travel. The controls start from next Monday and are to initially set to last for six months. (Source: dw, "with dpa, Reuters')
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