Border checks breed anger

The German authorities indicated that liberal drug laws adopted by the Czech government are behind a dramatic rise in border checks on Czech drivers.

The issue has been taken up by Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Kohout, who accused Bavarian border police of arrogance and an overbearing manner.

In unusually harsh language, he said the way in which the Bavarian police acted is an affront to the dignity of Czechs.

Many drivers have been ordered to give drug-test urine samples on the side of the highway, according to driver accounts in the Czech-language press.

Czech MEP Ivo Strejček complained bitterly about his experiences.

"I was searched three times on the way to Germany and twice on the way back. So, if someone claims that this is random checking, I am obviously unlucky," he said.

Strejček is convinced there is a policy of deliberately harassing Czech drivers.

"On my way to the European Parliament, I usually go through the border crossing at Rozvadov-Waidhaus. About 200 meters behind the German border in the parking lot are two unmarked cars ready to stop Czech drivers. They are usually silver BMWs or Audis. They pick cars leaving the Czech Republic."

Kohout said there have been nearly 100 complaints since December 2007, when the gates on the Czech-German border were permanently opened and highway checks were introduced instead of the examination of stationary cars at the border.

As a result of the supposedly random highway checks, Kohout said, Czech motorists are subjected to "arrogant behavior" and "exaggerated inspections" by German officials.

Kohout raised his concerns with German Foreign Affairs Minister Guido Westerwelle in Berlin March 4.

Westerwelle defended the security checks and denied Germans were discriminating against Czechs. However, he said Germany has a legitimate right to protect its borders, especially from drug smugglers.

"The fact that we monitor the borders to ensure that drugs, for example, can't be smuggled into our country is obvious," he said.

The Czech Republic liberalized its drug laws Jan. 1, making it one of the most lenient in the European Union.

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com