Dutch border police will begin carrying out extra checks at the Dutch border with Germany and Belgium from December 9, migration minister Marjolein Faber said on Monday.

Faber did not give any details about how the checks will work, apart from saying the Marechaussee will not get any extra officers to carry out the additional monitoring. Efforts will be made to minimise the impact on the shipment of goods and on cross-border commuters, Faber said.  

EU member states are allowed to bring in border checks in special circumstances – such as public order issues – and France and Germany have already done so. The cabinet says the high number of refugees coming to the Netherlands means that the extra checks can be carried out within the terms of the Schengen agreement.

In fact, refugee numbers are falling and will be well below estimates this year.

The border police currently carry out spot checks on trains and road crossings and Dutch News has asked for details about how many people have been stopped and sent back so far this year.

The aim of the six-month checks is to reduce “irregular” migration, the minister said. This includes people coming to the Netherlands after previously applying for asylum in another EU country.

The extra border checks are part of the new right-wing government’s pledge to introduce the “toughest refugee regime ever”. Other measures include ending refugee rights to permanent residency permits and sending people back to “safe” parts of Syria.