Border controls in Brandenburg: Woidke demands solutions to traffic jams!

Border controls in Brandenburg: Woidke demands solutions to traffic jams!

Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) has decided to improve border controls between Germany and Poland. In a statement on June 12, 2025, he demands measures to avoid traffic jams, which are currently caused by controls on Autobahn 12 between Frankfurt (Oder) and Swiecko. Woidke plans to contact Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in order to tackle the quickly implementation of a project to create a third lane. This measure is intended to help reduce the traffic load at the border that is problematic for both travelers and economic exchange.

Negative effects of border controls

Marcin Jablonski, Marshal of the Lubuskie Wojewodency, expressed concerns about border controls on the German side, which he sees as a threat to living together and cooperation in the region. Jablonski criticizes the intensive controls that have been ordered after the new federal government has started, and sees this a false policy. Meanwhile, Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk makes it clear that controls could also be introduced on the border with Germany if the situation deteriorates.

In the context of the border controls, it is noteworthy that the federal police on the German-Polish border have hardly been unauthorized for several months. According to reports from ndr , the irregular migration has decreased noticeably. In January 2025, only 72 migrants were registered on the border, while in January 2024 there were still 116. The reasons for this decline could be the cold season and the increased securing of the Belarusian-Polish border, which is characterized by high fences and barbed wire.

asylum applications and migration

In addition, the number of asylum applications in Germany in January 2025 decreased by over 40 percent compared to the previous year, so Media service integration . While around 250,900 people applied for asylum in Germany in 2024, most of them as first applications, the number of unauthorized border crossings has dropped by 36 percent to around 83,000. The majority of these cross-border crossings took place across the German-Polish border.

migration research indicates that there is no direct connection between stricter border controls and the number of refugees. Despite the increased controls in Germany and other European countries, the question of how they will affect the migration flows in the long term remains. It turns out that many people are trying to get more and more legally to Europe to escape conflicts and crises.

In addition, Woidke calls for a stronger expansion of rail connections to Poland, especially the former Eastern Railway from Berlin to Küstrin to facilitate mobility between the countries. This route is currently not electrified and only partially single -track, which further restricts transport.

Woidke and Jablonski have also signed an explanation to reinforce the partnership between Brandenburg and the Lubuskie wojewodity, which is focused on the cross -border exchange in schools as well as in the areas of digitization, green energy, artificial intelligence and mobility. "This collaboration is essential for the future of our regions," concludes Woidke.