(Reuters) – The European Union is seeing an increase in both legal and illegal migration, leading some member states to temporarily impose border controls in what is normally a free movement zone. The bloc’s Schengen rules allow for such actions as a last resort in cases of serious threats to internal security or public policy.
Some member countries with reinstated checks include Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden, France, Slovakia, and Slovenia, among others. These checks have been implemented as a response to issues such as irregular migration, terrorism threats, organized crime, and the conflict in Ukraine.
In October, Austria introduced checks at its border with the Czech Republic, set to last until December 6. The government also extended border controls with Slovenia and Hungary until May 2024, citing pressure on the asylum reception system and threats of arms trafficking, among other concerns.
Denmark tightened border control for arrivals, including those from Schengen countries, at Copenhagen airport in August. It has also prolonged checks on the Danish-German land border and in ports with ferry connections to Germany until May 2024, citing an increase in irregular migration and threats posed by terrorism and organized crime.
Germany announced controls on its land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, set to stay in place until December 4. Berlin said it needed to respond to an immigration surge and high levels of smuggling.
Italy also reinstated police checks at its northeast land border with Slovenia, saying some migrants in transit on the Balkan route could be terrorists. The controls will be in place at least until December 9 and likely extended into next year.
Norway, a member of the Schengen arrangement but not the EU, reinstated border controls in its ports with ferry connections to the Schengen area as of November 12. It pointed to threats to its on-shore and off-shore infrastructure, as well as from foreign intelligence services. These controls should last until May 5, 2024.
Poland has extended temporary controls on its border with Slovakia until December 3, pointing to migrants’ efforts to illegally enter from there. The government was rocked by a “visas for cash” scandal earlier this year, when the opposition accused it of being complicit in a system where people received visas at an accelerated pace without proper checks after paying intermediaries.
Also in August, Sweden strengthened checks on its borders, giving border police more power and increasing electronic surveillance. The government raised Sweden’s terrorism threat level, saying it had thwarted attacks after Koran burnings led to threats from Islamist militants. The border checks were extended until May 2024.
France also reintroduced controls on its borders with Schengen members, citing terrorism threats, with the controls set to last until April 30, 2024. Slovakia’s government approved keeping temporary controls on its border with Hungary until December 23, aiming to limit the number of illegal arrivals after detaining roughly 500% more migrants who arrived illegally this year compared to 2022. Slovenia extended border controls with Schengen members and plans to re-introduce controls on those borders for six months starting December 22.
Finally, Finland temporarily closed all but one of its eight passenger crossings to Russia after an unusually high amount of migrants arrived at different border stations in the span of two weeks. The government accuses Moscow of being responsible for transporting the migrants to its border, an accusation that the Kremlin denies.
No reopening date has been announced yet.
(Compiled by Olivier Sorgho and Stéphanie Hamel in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi and Frances Kerry)
