German gov’t: Extra border controls may be illegal, but will continue

A court in Koblenz has ruled that additional controls at the Germany-Luxembourg border violated the EU Schengen Agreement. The ruling may set a precedent for rulings on border controls with other neighbouring countries.

Extra German border controls were illegal

The Koblenz Administrative Court has ruled that German authorities’ additional checks in place at the border between Germany and Luxembourg between March and September 2025 violated the EU Schengen Agreement.

The German government first introduced additional border controls in the Schengen Area in September 2024. These additional controls have been extended three times, most recently to remain in place until September 2026.

EU member states in the Schengen Area may implement their own border controls, but only when public order or internal security is under threat. According to the Koblenz court, the German government’s decision to implement additional checks between March and September could not be justified on this basis.

The case was brought by a law professor, Dominik Brodowski, who was driving from Luxembourg to Germany in June 2025. Police verified Brodowski’s identity at the border before he entered Germany. 

Ruling should give politicians “food for thought”

According to Brodowski, the court ruling was appended with a broader statement regarding the German government’s additional border controls. 

"This should really give politicians food for thought and not be dismissed as a one-off decision,” the professor at Saarland University told the dpa. Brodowski added that the ruling was "strong signal for European integration, for European unification and also for Schengen law."

The German Interior Ministry has already announced that it will appeal the ruling at the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate. Speaking to ARD, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) said that additional checks at the German border would remain in place despite concerns that they are illegal.