2023-10-03 12:18:31
Austria introduces border controls with Slovakia. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) announced this on Tuesday in a hastily called press statement. Austria follows the Czech Republic and Poland, which have also announced controls along their border with Slovakia. The border controls will start at midnight and initially last ten days, said Karner in Vienna. The aim is to prevent smugglers from taking alternative routes via Austria.
In the Czech Republic and Poland, the controls are also scheduled to begin on Wednesday and last for ten days; the period might be extended, it was said. It’s regarding curbing illegal migration flows and smuggling activities. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala argues that the random checks are due to an increase in cases of illegal migration. “The number of illegal immigrants into the EU is increasing once more. We do not take this lightly and are reacting quickly to the situation,” emphasized Fiala on Twitter (X) on Tuesday.
Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakusan specified that the introduction of controls, which would take place on the entire Czech-Slovak border, was coordinated with Poland. “This is a necessary measure to effectively combat smuggling gangs and illegal migration,” said Rakusan on
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said he had informed his counterparts in Germany, Slovakia, Austria and the Czech Republic, as well as the European Commission, regarding the new controls. Kaminski said that illegal migration and the number of migrants detected in Slovakia have increased by almost 1,000 percent compared to last year. In the past few weeks, 551 illegal migrants have been discovered and arrested at the border with Slovakia. That is why Poland is now taking decisive measures. “The controls will be introduced at midnight,” Kaminski said at a press conference on Tuesday. He added that he thought an extension of the measure following October 13 was likely.
The government in Bratislava reacted with incomprehension. Slovakia will respond to the measure on Wednesday. “Migration needs a European solution for external borders,” Slovak Prime Minister Ludovit Odor said in a statement. “If a country starts to guard its border more, it will create a cascading effect that we will all pay for, and the outcome will be very unclear.”
Former left-wing Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico took a hard line on the issue ahead of last weekend’s elections, which his party won. He is now trying to form a government and has said guarding the border with Hungary will be a top priority.
Slovakia is faced with an increasing number of illegal migrants entering the country on their way to Germany and Western Europe. These are mainly young men from the Middle East and Afghanistan, who mostly arrive via the so-called Balkan route.
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