26 September
2024
From September 16, additional controls will be implemented at all of Germany's land borders with neighboring countries, which will be in effect for six months. Shippers are sounding the alarm and calling on German regulators to reconsider their decision, as it will lead to serious disruptions in supply chains.
We are strengthening internal security and continuing our hard line against illegal migration," Nancy Feser, Germany's interior minister, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
According to Feser, this will help solve the problem of "illegal migration and protect against the acute dangers associated with Islamic terrorism and serious crime."
Impact on supply chains
However, the introduction of additional controls will return the European transport and logistics industry to the situation that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shippers reacted to the news about the introduction of additional border control by Germany on September 16, commenting: "the end of the Schengen zone without borders."
The news incredibly surprised the business community, the association of shippers and forwarders of the Netherlands, Evofenedex, said.
There is a risk of long waits, disruption of supply chains, which will cause delays in the delivery of fresh products, such as flowers," Evofenedex explained in its statement.
The spot checks cover Denmark, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, with the border crossing between Germany and these countries being particularly busy, points out Geert van Eyck, Evofenedex advisor.
Control is guaranteed to lead to a transport collapse. Total control, in our opinion, is impossible," emphasizes van Eyck.
According to him, every year the Netherlands exports goods worth 165 billion euros to its eastern neighbors.
Six months of rapid border control will cost tens of millions just because of the waiting time, said Gert van Eyck. "The collateral damage from disruption of supply chains is even greater."
The Evofenedex adviser also added that this is "bad news not only for the European domestic market, but also for Europe's competitive position globally."
Proposed solution
In the Dutch association of shippers and forwarders Evofenedex, they understand the need for innovation in view of the unrest in Germany, as well as dangerous incidents in the field of transportation.
In July, a parcel transported by DHL caught fire in Leipzig. Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Criminal Police have warned transport and logistics companies and shippers that new dangerous exploding packages may be arriving to "deliberately harm freight companies and other logistics infrastructure in Western countries ".
However, the association calls for a "smarter system that disrupts supply chains as little as possible."