The Netherlands in talks on stepping up border controls after Berlin attack

The Dutch government is in talks with Belgium, Germany and France about stepping up checks on passengers on international buses, trains and boats, the Volkskrant said on Wednesday.

One idea under consideration is to require all passengers to show some form of ID when buying a ticket, the paper said, quoting a justice ministry spokesman.

The Netherlands is currently working on a new law which would require travellers to show ID when buying a plane ticket. The information will be stored in a central register which other countries will be able to access and allow the movements of ‘suspicious people’ to be tracked, the paper said.

Europe is also introducing new rules which will require airlines to store passenger details for up to six months in an effort to reduce terrorism and serious crime.  Belgium said last week the directive should be widened to include bus, train and ferry passengers. Those discussions are due to take place at the end of January.

Berlin attack

Anis Amri, the man who drove a lorry into a Christmas market in Berlin, was able to escape to Italy using trains and buses. He is now known to have travelled from Nijmegen to Amsterdam’s Sloterdijk station by bus and then on to Lyon, with a change in Paris.

Flixbus spokeswoman Nina Göbbels told the Volkskrant that drivers on cross-border services do check if names on ID cards are the same as on tickets. ‘But we are in no position to check if the ID card is correct,’ she said.

If Belgium’s proposal goes ahead, it will make formal check-in desks essential at bus and train stations, she said.