Half of Dutch want border controls between EU countries; Impossible, say border guards

Almost half of Dutch people want border controls between EU countries to be reinstated to reduce immigration, according to the Kieskompas. But completely closing the Dutch borers is not possible, said the Koninklijke Marechaussee, the policing force responsible for border security in the Netherlands.

Over 51,000 people filled out the Kieskompas, a voting guide released before elections to help voters pick the party that best aligns with their beliefs and values. This time, one of the statements was: “To reduce immigration, border controls between EU countries must be reinstated.” Nearly half of the respondents responded “yes” to that statement.

Drenthe residents (60 percent) are most in favor of reintroducing border controls. There is also majority support in Overijssel, Noord-Holland, and Friesland.

Almost all voters for the far-right parties PVV and FvD want to close the Dutch borders. Volt, GroenLinks-PvdA, and D66 voters are almost all against the idea.

During the final election debate on NOS on Wednesday, PVV faction leader Sebastiaan Stöteler said that the coronavirus pandemic showed beautifully how the Dutch borders can be closed. “I always hear [GL-PvdA leader Bas] Eickhout say: ‘Border security and closing the borders is not possible at all.’ I would like to remind you that Belgium had blocked all border crossings with containers during corona times, so it was perfectly possible.”

However, according to the Koninklijke Marechaussee, it is not as simple as Stöteler claims. A completely closed border is impossible, the military policing service told Hart van Nederland. “For the simple fact that the borders sometimes run through ditches, streets, and buildings,” the Marechaussee said. “This became clearly visible during the Covid pandemic because the Netherlands and Belgium applied different regimes.”

The spokesperson added that checking every person at the border is also not feasible due to the current staffing at the Marechaussee. The Koninklijke Marechaussee is already conducting targeted border control through its Mobile Safety Supervision team. The team monitors people crossing the border to combat illegal immigration and cross-border crimes, checking travel documentation and searching vehicles at random.

The Koninklijke Marehcuassee is a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military. In addition to policing the armed forces, it is responsible for border security in The Netherlands, including at airports and seaports.