German GUE/NGL MEP Cornelia Ernst comments yesterday's decision by the German government to close its borders:

“This is the wrong step at the wrong time! For weeks now it has become more than obvious that the Dublin system has totally failed. It doesn't make any sense to make refugees stay in the country where they first entered the European Union.

“Instead of creating a fair distribution system for Europe based on the needs of people, the German government prefers to do an about-face and reintroduce border controls. And if this weren't enough, the general traffic at the border has been halted and trains stopped. This is simply is insane!

“The EU's most important achievement, free movement, is going to be sacrificed on the altar of the Dublin ideology! If the dysfunctional Dublin Regulation is more important than free movement, the whole internal unity of the Union is in question. And even more important: the problem of how to deal with people seeking protection is still not solved.”

GUE/NGL Press Contact:

Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20