A number of countries including
Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland,
Slovenia and Slovakia have announced new controls along their
borders. They are trying to prevent people smugglers from using
routes through the Balkans to bring migrants to Central and
Western Europe. This puts pressure on the Schengen area of free
movement and visa-free arrangements with third countries.
Border controls are being introduced due to challenging security
conditions and the increased threat of terrorism in Europe
following the recent outbreak of violence in the Middle East as
well as terrorist attacks in France and Belgium. In some
countries, the situation is fuelling support for right-wing
political parties.
The countries tightening controls are all members of the
European Union and of Europe's Schengen open-borders zone.
Central European countries in particular have recently seen a
growing number of migrants and asylum seekers coming largely
from Serbia via Hungary and heading to wealthier Western
European countries.
The reintroduction of border checks in the Schengen area is
permitted in exceptional circumstances, and Brussels must be
notified before implementation.
Recent terrorist attacks cause concern
Nonetheless, European leaders have repeated calls for better
protection of the EU's external borders and reaffirmed their
cooperation on migration in the wake of the deadly attack in
Brussels on Monday. Two Swedish football fans were shot dead
near the stadium where Sweden was playing Belgium to qualify for
the Euro 2024 tournament.
The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) later claimed
responsibility for the attack. The suspected perpetrator was a
rejected asylum seeker from Tunisia who, according to
authorities, was staying illegally in Belgium. Belgian police
shot the 45-year-old man in a café in Brussels on Tuesday
morning and he died of his injuries.
A more united European approach was needed "to tackle the root
causes of what we have seen here in recent days," Belgium's
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Wednesday in Brussels at a
joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart Ulf
Kristersson and European Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen. Earlier, the leaders had jointly paid tribute to the
victims of the attack.
Von der Leyen said that a European proposal had been on the
table for some time "giving Member States the power to expel
persons who have received a return order if they are considered
a threat to national security." The proposal - a revision of the
European Return Directive - is part of the much-discussed
migration pact. "Knowing that Belgium will hold the next
presidency, I am confident that we will be able to get this pact
over the line," Von der Leyen said.
Following Italy's decision to introduce border controls on the
Slovenian border due to the outbreak of violence in the Middle
East, Slovenia has announced a revised regime that will apply to
its borders with Croatia and Hungary.
In Croatia, which entered Schengen only at the beginning of this
year, Slovenia's decision to introduce temporary border controls
has become a pre-election topic and attracted a lot of
attention. Since the next 2024 is a super-election year in
Croatia with parliamentary, European, and presidential
elections, the temporary introduction of border controls
triggered heated debates between the government and the
opposition. The Croatian government presented the entry into
Schengen as its great success, and now after border controls are
re-introduced not even a year after joining Schengen, the
opposition wants to present it as a failure of the government.
Some right-wing parties have proposed building walls and sending
the army to guard the borders. The government firmly rejects
this and claims that it has enough police officers and equipment
for effective border protection.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday that the
international situation made it necessary for Italy to suspend
the Schengen Treaty after her government decided to reintroduce
controls at Italy's border with Slovenia from Saturday October
21.
The Spanish government has avoided raising the anti-terrorist
alert to the maximum. For the time being, Spain has no plans to
introduce police checks at its borders with other European Union
countries.
Migration issue fuels the (far-)right
A surge in migrant arrivals in recent months, mainly from Syria
and Afghanistan, has reignited a fierce immigration debate in
Germany with local authorities saying they are overwhelmed by
the number of asylum seekers. The influx has fuelled support for
the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD)
party, which made major gains in two regional elections this
month.
Germany is set to introduce fixed border checks at entry points
from Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, the Interior
Ministry announced on Monday. While Switzerland is not in the
EU, it is part of Europe's Schengen open-borders area.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Monday notified the European
Commission of the plans, which will mean the possible
introduction of police checks directly at the borders between
Germany and its three neighbours.
(more)
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