Is the EU-Schengen border-free dream fading?

Germany's decision to extend temporary controls to all its land borders as part of its response to irregular migration has sparked anger among its neighbours, who described it a "de facto a large-scale suspension of the Schengen area".

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has denounced the decision as "unacceptable".

“Such actions are unacceptable from the Polish perspective,” Tusk said on Tuesday in Warsaw at a meeting of heads of Polish diplomatic missions.

“Poland does not need to strengthen controls on our border, but to strengthen the participation of countries such as Germany in guarding and securing the external borders of the European Union,” Tusk said.

He also canceled his trip to Potsdam this week, where he was to receive an award. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also canceled his participation in the ceremony.

The head of a Dutch-German alliance of border communities called the decision a "panic reaction", while Austria's interior minister said it would not take in anyone turned away by Germany.

Berlin has been looking for ways to curb migration following a deadly knife attack last month in the city of Solingen. Three people were fatally stabbed at a street festival in the western town, allegedly by a Syrian asylum-seeker.

But Germany's opposition conservatives said Berlin had not gone far enough.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government is facing mounting pressure to address poor results in recent state elections in eastern Germany, where immigration was a key concern.

In Thuringia, the far-right Alternative for Germany party emerged as the top contender, and another election is approaching in Brandenburg in less than two weeks.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the expanded controls as a measure to guard against the immediate threats posed by terrorism and serious crime.

Her proposal, presented to the 16 German states, involves police verifying if an asylum seeker has previously applied for protection in another EU country and quickly initiating procedures to return them if that is the case.

Dutch transport organization TLN has accused Germany of undermining the Schengen agreement.

However, some right-wing political leaders in the Netherlands have expressed a contrasting opinion.

Geert Wilders, whose anti-immigration, far-right Freedom Party won the most votes in last year’s Dutch elections and is now part of the government, questioned why the Netherlands shouldn’t implement similar measures, suggesting that doing so sooner would be preferable.

“If Germany can do it, why can’t we? Wilders said.

“As far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”