1 Joining forces to crack down on illegal immigrant smuggling

For years, Germany and the Czech Republic have enjoyed trusting cooperation in the area of border control. For example, there is a joint centre for police cooperation in Petrovice-Schwandorf at the German-Czech border. Over the past year, joint patrols have also been intensified even further. The temporary reintroduction of checks at internal borders last October provides the necessary flexibility for border policing measures in order to help contain irregular migration to Germany.

Rakušan and Faeser agree that the issue of migration needs to be resolved at the external borders of the EU in order for the Schengen area to be effective at the EU’s internal borders.

“Open borders are an integral part of the Schengen area. That is why we want to return to them as soon as possible,” Faeser emphasised, explaining that this was the reason why the European Pact on Migration and Asylum was so crucial. Federal Minister Faeser made clear that the temporary border checks were currently necessary in order to ensure a fair distribution of migrants. Both ministers emphasised the need to conclude negotiations on the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), which will reform European asylum law.

“The current decrease in illegal entries across German borders is due to this combination of measures and effective cooperation,” Federal Minister Faeser confirmed during her visit to Prague.

Last September, Faeser, Rakušan and former Minister of the Interior of Poland, Mariusz Kamiński, set up a joint task force to effectively fight the inhumane smuggling of migrants. The task force operates under the aegis of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), an instrument coordinated by Europol.

2 Mutual assistance in the event of disasters and emergencies

Cooperation in the field of civil protection was also discussed during the visit. Federal Minister Faeser was accompanied to Prague by Dierk Hansen, Vice-President of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), and Karl-Heinz Banse, President of the German Fire Service Association (DFV).

Bundesinnenministerin Nancy Faeser und ihr tschechischer Amtskollege Vít Rakušan. (Larger version opens in new window)



Source: BMI / Oellermann

Together they visited the Argentinská fire station. The Federal Minister saw the work of the Czech rescue forces first-hand and spoke of the excellent cooperation between German and Czech rescue forces during the dreadful forest fires in the national parks of Saxon Switzerland and Bohemian Switzerland in 2022. The German-Czech Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Cases of Disasters was signed in 2003. “It is time that we renew this agreement and adapt it to the current challenges and circumstances,” Faeser emphasised during her visit to the fire department.

For many years, the THW and the Directorate-General of the fire and rescue service of the Czech Republic have worked together in a spirit of trust. The cooperation is due to start again following a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. Up until now, a joint memorandum has formed the basis of the cooperation between the THW and the Czech rescue service. This joint memorandum sets out the mutual assistance to be provided in the event of a disaster or serious emergency. A bilateral working programme will now be drafted to specify more details of this cooperation.