A Munich court is examining on Wednesday whether personal checks at the border between Germany and Austria are unlawful, in a case brought by a Munich resident who works in the Austrian city of Innsbruck and is challenging a personal check he was subjected to on a train.
According to the court, the man - who frequently travels by train to Innsbruck several times a week - was subjected to a personal check by federal police on one such journey in June last year.
After he refused to show identification, his bag was searched.
The plaintiff considers this unlawful and is seeking a declaration to that effect from the court.
In his view, the police measures violate EU law because the systematic internal border checks breach the requirements of the Schengen agreement, which removed border controls for signatory states, now numbering 29.
