Checks on Slovak border extended

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Vít Rakusan said the measure, which was initially introduced for ten days until 13 October, has not yet led to an improvement in the situation and therefore needs to be kept in place.

The random border checks were introduced by the Czechs in consultation with the Polish and Austrian governments in response to the increase in the number of illegal migrants. Since the Poles and the Austrians had decided to continue the checks, Prague had no alternative, Vít Rakusan added.

Czechia has already had checks on the Slovak border due to the increased number of migrants between September 2022 and the beginning of February this year. After the situation returned to normal, Prague lifted the measure, which had been heavily criticised by the Slovak government.

According to Rakusan, in the past ten days, the Czechs have checked a total of 43 749 people at the Slovak border and removed 283 illegal migrants. The police also detained 12 people smugglers who are being prosecuted.

The reinstated border controls have so far resulted in an additional expenditure of 53.4 million korunas (HUF 854.4 million) for the interior ministry, the minister said. According to earlier reports, there are 27 border crossings on the Czech-Slovak border, 17 of them are road crossings, seven are rail crossings and three are river crossings.

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