On 2 June, the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that denying entry to asylum seekers during border checks is illegal and violates both German law and the EU’s Dublin Regulation on immigration. While the Dublin system makes the first EU country of entry (in this case Poland) generally responsible for processing claims, Germany must still allow applications to be lodged and then use the Dublin procedure to transfer responsibility. The Court found that pushbacks at the border bypass these safeguards. The ruling, which is final and cannot be appealed, arose from the case of three Somali nationals who were sent back to Poland in May under a new policy. This policy, introduced as part of the government's efforts to curb irregular migration, instructed police to reject irregular migrants at the border even if they requested asylum. The Court concluded that this approach bypasses crucial legal safeguards and infringes on the fundamental right to seek asylum. 

Sources: Deutsche Welle, Euronews 

On 2 May, Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) officially classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD)—which placed second in the 2025 federal elections—as a ‘right-wing extremist’ party. In response, the AfD filed a lawsuit against the BfV. Until a final ruling by the court, the BfV is putting its official reclassification on hold. If upheld, the designation grants authorities expanded surveillance powers at a national level. It could also end the party’s state funding and allow for the exclusion of its members from the civil service—but would not affect the AfD’s presence in the Bundestag. The BfV report asserts that the AfD’s ethnicity- and ancestry-based view of society is incompatible with the free democratic order. It also points to statements by party officials that are ’xenophobic, anti-minority, Islamophobic, and anti-Muslim.’ AfD has already been classified as extremist in the states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.

Sources: Deutsche Welle (1), Deutsche  Welle (2), Tagesschau (1), Tagesschau (2), International IDEA (1), International IDEA (2), Financial Times 

On 23 February, Germany held an early federal legislative election after the coalition government collapsed in November 2024. The conservative Christian Democratic Union parties (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz and its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU) won the elections with 28.6 per cent of votes, securing 164 of the 630 seats in the Bundestag (lower chamber). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came second with 20.8 per cent of the vote (152 seats), almost doubling its support from the last elections. The incumbent Social Democrats (SPD) garnered 16.4 per cent of the vote (120 seats), experiencing its largest loss in support compared to previous elections. The Greens received 11.6 per cent of the vote (85 seats), while the Left Party (Die Linke) garnered 8.8 per cent (64 seats). The proportion of women in Parliament will be 32.4 per cent, down from 34.8 per cent in 2021. This general election saw the highest voter turnout since 1987, reaching 82.5 per cent, up from 76.6 per cent in the 2021 general elections. 

Sources: Die Bundeswahlleiterin, Deutsche Welle, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, German Bundestag, International IDEA 

The government has decided to temporarily extend its border restrictions to all land borders, introducing more systematic checks on people arriving by bus, train or car. These measures aim to combat irregular migration and cross-border crime and come amid a series of terrorist attacks, including a recent knife attack in Solingen that resulted in three deaths. Germany is bordered by nine countries, and the restrictions could result in slower transit due to checks. The new restrictions are set to last for an initial period of six months and can last for a maximum of two years if there is a particular security threat. The new restrictions impact borders with Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Previously, restrictions and border controls had affected Austria, Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland. The restrictions have also drawn criticism from neighbouring countries and experts for undermining EU unity and the Schengen Agreement. 

Sources: Deutsche Welle (1), Deutsche Welle (2), Cable News Network