Inspired by Germany, Christian Estrosi calls for their reestablishment between France and Italy

The Figaro Nice

Action, reaction. Barely has the left-wing coalition in power in Germany decided to return identity checks at national borders than some are already taking inspiration from it. This is the case of the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, who, on Tuesday morning in a press release, urged the future Barnier government to carry out the same security tightening between France and Italy. “The fight against smugglers and activists who exploit the misery and despair of migrants for financial gain or to give themselves a clear conscience must be an absolute priority for the new government.”thus introduced the Azurean councilor.

And to continue: “While 70% of the drug trafficking in the Alpes-Maritimes is due to underage migrants, I am asking that controls be temporarily re-established at the two French-Italian borders in the Southern Region. Throughout Europe, our partners are redoubling their efforts to combat illegal immigration. France must play its full part in this.” Christian Estrosi assures us that what the German left has just achieved to fight against illegal immigration, “France must know how to do it”. This is a “major security and humanitarian issue for our country”he continued. “This restoration is all the more essential since the Council of State relaxed the code on the entry and residence of foreigners last February, henceforth prohibiting France from turning back people at the internal borders of the European Union.”he recalled again.

Terrorist threat

Since Monday, border controls have been back along the entire German border. All its neighbors are concerned, namely Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, but also France. The measure must be effective for at least the next six months, and can be renewed. It comes in a context of terrorist threat, a few weeks after a deadly knife attack in Solingen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, claimed by the Islamic State, and is part of a political context of breakthrough of the extreme right within the federal state.

As early as 2022, the mayor of Nice noted in the media that “death of Schengen ». “We need to start again on a smaller basis with a few countries and with a common border police force to have the determination to act on a restricted perimeter,” he had pleaded in a message published on X (ex-Twitter). During a meeting with the press on August 9, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Hugues Moutouh had indicated that on average, since January, the police had arrested between 200 and 300 illegal immigrants per week. In times of crisis, such as last year, this number of attempted crossings was counted per day. 44,000 arrests had thus taken place in 2023 at the Franco-Italian border.