Ministry of Security and Justice

>

Return address Postbus 20301 2500 EH The Hague

Mrs. Cecilia Malmström Commissioner for Home Affairs
Mr Klaus Welle, Secretary-General of the European Parliament
Mr Nikos Dendias, President of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the
European Union
Mr Uwe Corsepius, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union.

Directorate-General for
Immigration

Immigration Policy
Department
Turfmarkt 147
2511 DP The Hague
Postbus 20301
2500 EH The Hague
www.rijksoverheid.nh/venj
Our reference

510333

Date
14 May 2014
Concerning report temporary internal border control

Dear colleagues, dear secretaries-general,
In accordance with article 29 of the Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 establishing a
Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders
(Schengen Borders Code), please find attached the report of the Dutch authorities
on the reintroduction of the border control at the internal borders of the
Netherlands in the period of 14-28 March on the occasion of the Nuclear Security
Summit.
Yours sincerely,
The M

ter for Migration of the Netherlands,

F. Tee en

Please quote date of letter
and our ref. when replying. Do
not raise more than one
subject per letter.

Report of the Dutch authorities on the reintroduction of border control at its internal
borders between 14

—

28 March 2014 in accordance with Article 29 of the Regulation

(EC) No 562/2006 establishing a Community Code on the rules governing the movement
of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code), amended by Regulation 1051/2013,
OJL 295/1, 6.11.2013
th
On the 24 and 25
of March 2014 the Nuclear Security Summit took place in the city of

The Hague. With respect to this summit the reintroduction of the internal border controls was
found necessary as notified by the letter the Minister for Migration of the Netherlands of 6
February 2014. The internal border checks were part of security requirements on the occasion
of the summit.
The measure was applied at Dutch internal land borders with the Federal Republic
of Germany and the Kingdom of Belgium, as well as at sea and air internal borders.
The scope of the border control was only on persons and traffic travelling to the Netherlands.
The internal border controls were carried out in a flexible marmer by the border control
authorities. The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee and the Seaport Police carried out
individual checks at the border crossings in the Netherlands as enlisted in the Annex by the
letter of February 6. The checks were performed on the basis of information received and at
random. Information was gathered in advance by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the
national police, foreign authorities and international- and other organisations. By conducting
the border controls in a flexible marmer and in accordance with available information there
was little to no disruption or inconvenience to the travellers. No specific infrastructural
measures were necessary to perform these checks. There were also agreements with the
Custom authorities and the Dutch police to assist in case of any incidents, however,
assistance of the Dutch Police or Customs bas not been necessary.

Additionally, in the framework of cooperation with the neighbouring Member States, joint
patrolling was carried out with the German Federal police. At the PRIO 1 locations at the
land border with Germany as enlisted in the Annex at least one German police officer was
present when checks were carried out. For the border checks at the Dutch-Belgian land
border, the colleagues of the Belgian Federal Police were present on call.
In accordance of article 30 of the Schengen Borders Code the public was informed with the
publication of the measure in the official gazette (Staatscourant) and the websites of the

Dutch government and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. The measure was also
published on the website of the European Commission. In addition to the above, the public
was informed with matrix signs on the highway and flyers.
During the period of internal border control a total of approximately 14.000 vehicles were
checked at the land borders of the Netherlands with Belgium and Germany. This can be
subdivided into:
-

-

-

ca 324 buses
ca 13512 cars
ca 220 trucks

Furthermore, a total of 338 trams were checked on the international train path Germany
Netherlands and Belgium Netherlands Also, 284 controls were carried out on intra
-

.

Schengen flights at Schiphol Airports and 14 on intra Schengen flights at Rotterdam airport.

in total approxirnately 44 500 people were checked during the period of the internal border
control. This can be subdivided into
-

-

-

ca 7476 persons on intra Schengen flights
ca 12691 persons in trams
ca 31678 persons in vehicles.

The arrangements in place involved the deployment of 1250 border guards.
During the checks mentioned above, a total of 188 foreigners
1 were refused the entry to the
Netherlands (73 at the land border with Germany, 110 at the land border with Belgium and
5 on the intra Schengen flights at Schiphol Airport).
-

( A) is not in possession of a valid travel document / valid passport: Afghans (9),

Albania (2), Algeria (1), Angola (1), Armenia (1), Benin (1), Bosnia (1), Bulgarian (1),
Burkina Faso (1), Canada (1), China (2), Dorninican Republic (1), Eritrea (4), France (5).
Ghana (2), Guinea (1), India (2), Iraq (1), Iran (3), Israel (1), ivory Coast (1), Japan (1), Cape
Verde (1), Kazakhstan (1), Kuwait (1), Latvia (1), Lebanon (1), Liberia (2), Macedonia (2),
Morocco (10), Mexican (1), Montenegro (1), Niger (1), Nigeria (4), Palestine (2), Romania
(3), Russia (2). Rwanda (1), Saudi Arabia (1), Serbia (8), Sudan (1). Sri Lanka (2), Syria (9),

The foreigners can have several grounds for refusal

Togo (1). Turiisia (2). Turkey (2), Uganda (U, Vietnam (1).
(B) is in possession of a false / counterfeit / forged travel document: France (1). Latvia

-

(1), Morocco (1), Montenegro (1), Nigeria (1). Rornania (1), Sudan (2).
(C) is not in possession of valid visa or a valid residence permit: Algeria (1), Angola

-

(1). Bosnia (1), China (2), Dominican Republic (1), Guinea (1), lraq (1), I±an (2), Israel (1)
Ivory Coast (2), Kazakhstan (1), Kuwait (1), Congo (1), Liberia (2), Libya (1), Macedonia
(2), Morocco (8). Mongolia (1), Nigeria (4), Russia (1), Senegal (1), Serbia (2), Syria (ii),
Turkey (3),
(E) not in possession of appropriate documentation justifying the purpose and

-

conditions of the stay: Bangladesh (1), Ukraine (1).
-

( F) has already stayed for ninety days in a period of 180 days in the territory of the

Member States of the European Union : Albania (5) USA (1) Brazil (2) Georgia (2).
,

-

-

,

(II) is for the purpose of refusing entry signaled: Serbia (3).
(1) is considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the

international relations of any of the Member States of the European Union : Albania (3),
Angola (1) Belarus (1), Germany (7) France (1) Gambia (2) Ghana (1) Hungary (1), Iraq
,

,

(1), Latvia (1), Lebanon (1), Lithuania (1), Morocco (1) Montenegro (1) Romania (3),
,

Serbia (4) Togo (1), Tunisia (1) Turkey (3).
,

39 foreigners applied for asylum (presumably Afghan, Albanese, Eritrean, Ethiopian,
Cameroonian, Somali, Syrian, Tunisian nationality). At the land border 25 persons applied
for asylum and 12 persons applied for asylum at Schiphol Airport.

Number of persons apprehended
A total of 115 persons were arrested. These persons have the Dutch, Albanian, Angola,
Burkina Faso, Belgian, Bulgarian, Colombian, German, French, Greek, 1-lungarian, Indian.
1 srael 1, Jordanian, Latvian, Lebanese, Montenegrin, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian. Serbian,
Somali, Syrian, Czech, Turkish and Swedish nationality. They were arrested, inter alia in the
context of (migration)crirninality (human srnuggling, human trafficking, counterfeit- and
forged documents).
After the official closing of the Nuclear Security Summit on the 25 March the intensity of
border control was limited. At the locations which were designated as priority 2 locations as

enlisted in the Annex by the letter of February 6, there were no more border checks. From
Wednesday 26 there were no more joint patrols with the border authorities of Germany and
Belgium.
As a conciusion, the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls helped to provide
the internal security and had an important preventive effect and contributed to the smooth
running of the Nuclear Security Summit, which passed without any significant incident. The
public was well informed and measures were taken in a way that the impact on free
movement was as little as possible.