During a recent meeting in Paris, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau assured Luxembourg’s Minister for Home Affairs, Léon Gloden, that France has no plans to implement fixed border controls between the two countries.
The two ministers held a one-and-a-half-hour meeting, which Gloden described as a “good exchange” in an interview with our colleagues from RTL.lu.
Gloden explained that while France has extended border controls 15 times since a series of terrorist attacks, recent regulatory adjustments have been made and Retailleau reiterated that Luxembourg is not the target of these measures. French authorities primarily conduct “sporadic” checks on national roads, with no fixed controls akin to those implemented by Germany.
Gloden also expressed support for the increased use of mixed patrols, a collaborative effort between Luxembourgish and French police forces. Over the past year, these joint patrols have intensified cross-border checks on major roadways and trains, yielding positive results. Gloden highlighted recent operations over the past two weeks that led to the seizure of illicit goods on trains. As a result, both countries have agreed to expand this cooperation.
The minister noted that a 2001 agreement governing cross-border policing is outdated, particularly in terms of technical capabilities and inter-police coordination. Luxembourg and France have therefore decided to review and modernise the agreement to better address current challenges.
In a related development, Gloden announced plans to introduce automatic number plate recognition cameras on Luxembourg’s motorways. Luxembourg is currently the only country in the Greater Region without such a system. A draft bill to implement this technology is expected to be presented to the Government Council in the coming weeks.
