Deadly Crash Sparks Dutch Mayor Fury Over Germany's Border Controls

(MENAFN) A deadly multi-vehicle pileup near the Dutch-German border has thrust Germany's controversial border checkpoint policy into the spotlight, with Dutch mayors launching a blistering attack on Berlin over measures they say are claiming lives, hemorrhaging economic value, and potentially violating European law.

A 66-year-old man died Saturday after seven vehicles collided near Babberich in Gelderland province, with traffic congestion caused by German border checkpoints widely identified as a contributing factor. The fatal crash has reignited fierce debate over controls Berlin introduced in 2024 to stem irregular migration, the Dutch daily Trouw reported Sunday.

Nijmegen Mayor Hubert Bruls did not mince words, describing the accidents as "extraordinarily tragic" and declaring that they make the continued checks "even more bitter." He pressed Germany to abandon what he characterized as a "quasi-permanent" measure that has long outlived its original justification.

Bruls acknowledged that initial public sentiment had supported the policy's introduction. "I had quite a bit of understanding" when the controls were introduced, he said, pointing to elevated refugee flows and widespread public anxiety at the time. "But more than a year and a half later, the situation is very different."

The Nijmegen mayor also raised pointed legal questions about the policy's compatibility with EU rules governing the Schengen Area. "The question that really needs to be raised now is whether this is still in accordance with European law," he said, noting that legal experts have expressed doubts over its validity.

Doetinchem Mayor Mark Boumans echoed the criticism, stating he was "deeply disappointed" that Germany had failed to devise solutions that curtail irregular migration "without enormously harmful side effects."

The human toll is matched by a significant economic one. Border municipalities report escalating disruption — from chronic traffic jams and collisions to a surge in heavy vehicles cutting through residential villages to avoid checkpoint queues. Transport and Logistics Netherlands estimates that freight delays have already inflicted losses running into millions of euros.

Despite the mounting chorus of condemnation, Germany has shown no appetite for reversing course, with its next policy review not scheduled until September. German authorities continue to defend the controls, pointing to police data recording 3,476 detentions for illegal entry between September 2024 and March 2026, with 1,730 people turned away at the border and 157 suspected smugglers apprehended.

Bruls challenged the logic of fixed checkpoints, arguing that mobile patrols operating further inland would prove "more effective, smarter, and less of a nuisance." In his capacity as chairman of the Euregio Rhine-Waal cross-border network, he pledged to intensify political pressure on Berlin to reconsider its approach.

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