Poland has decided to extend temporary controls on its border with Slovakia until Nov. 22 in response to ongoing attempts by migrants to enter from Slovak territory.
Slovak government data published in October shows that the number of migrants arriving in Slovakia, mainly from the Middle East and Afghanistan, has increased by 11 times to almost 40,000 this year.
A regulation issued by Poland’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration states, “Border controls … are extended for the period from November 3, 2023 to November 22, 2023.”
On October 4, temporary controls were implemented on the border with Slovakia due to “a serious threat of illegal immigration on the Polish-Slovak section of the state border.” The measure was previously extended until November 2.
As per the latest regulation, there are eight road and three railway crossings, along with eleven pedestrian crossings where the border can be crossed.
Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, and Germany are all part of the European Union’s Schengen open-border zone.
In September, Germany started enforcing checks on its borders with neighboring countries as migration numbers increased and the European Union worked on a new migration pact that would revise rules for managing irregular arrivals.
Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by William Maclean
