Just like before Schengen: Another neighbour of Hungary reintroduces border controls
Slovenian Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar confirmed to N1 Slovenian television that Slovenia will suspend the Schengen agreement and introduce border controls with Croatia and Hungary. He said he had already informed his Hungarian and Croatian peers today. Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has already posted a message on the move on Facebook.
"The emergence of parallel societies and terrorist attacks, as well as recent acts of terrorism, threaten the physical security of the people of Europe," he wrote. "At the same time, the European economy suffers as border controls within the Schengen area make it more difficult and slow down trade and the cross-border operations of businesses," he added.
Szijjártó noted that migration, the increased terrorist threat and the closed borders is another kick in the gut for Europe's already buckling competitiveness, and so it's time for a change.
"If Brussels doesn't change its migration policy, we could easily find ourselves where we don't want to be: in an era of Europe torn apart by old borders," he concluded.
According to the Slovenian minister, his ministry has already prepared a notification in line with the Schengen Code, which will be approved by the government tomorrow and sent to the European Commission.
The reason for the temporary measure is the same as in Italy: the growing terrorist threat in Europe. "We see what happened in France and Belgium. Slovenia is no exception," Poklukar warned, adding that additional preventive controls were to be put in place on the Balkan refugee route, Index added.
The Slovenian minister did not say when the police will start carrying out checks at the border, as the introduction has not yet been discussed between the government and the European Commission.
He stressed that he would try to make life as easy as possible for people crossing the border every day. The heads of the Slovenian and Italian police forces will also coordinate on the implementation of measures in this respect.
Italy has informed Slovenia that it will introduce border controls with Slovenia due to the changed situation in Europe and the Middle East, the Slovenian Interior Ministry said, and Slovenia has decided to introduce controls on the Croatian and Hungarian borders.
Asked how he assesses Croatia's protection of the external Schengen border, Minister Poklukar told N1 Studio that "40,000 or more illegal border crossings at the Slovenian border say it all. With Croatia's accession to the Schengen area, foreigners are not crossing the border through forests, rivers and other dangerous areas, but are crossing by road, rail and even taxis," he said.
He added that the protection of the external border is about the "obligation and trust of the European states to protect the Schengen external border in accordance with the security standards", which he said Slovenia has done very well.
He pointed out that the Slovenian police officers' assistance to Croatia was offered bilaterally and in the framework of the Frontex agency.
The Slovak government has also introduced controls at the Hungarian border and controls have been reintroduced at the Czech and Slovak borders.
Cover photo: Getty Images
