Slovakia extends temporary controls at the border with neighboring Hungary. These will continue until December 23, the Slovak government has decided. The country wants to slow down increased illegal migration.
Slovakia says it has seen a fivefold increase in the number of undocumented migrants detained since the start of the year. The number of arrests is said to have fallen sharply after additional controls were introduced.
According to the data of Slovak official bodies, the number of illegal migrants arriving in Slovakia via the Western Balkan transit route has already reached 46,000 this year, while last year it was 5,000 during the whole year.
Moreover, data show that last week alone, a total of 30 irregular migrants were detained, emphasising the importance of the border measures.
As for the period during which measures were being applied, the Ministry said that since October 5, the authorities have denied the entry of 80 individuals, of which 50 were Syrians and 30 were Turks.
The Ministry of the Interior therefore concludes that the checks were apparently preventive. These were introduced at the beginning of October, after neighboring countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland had taken similar measures at the Slovakian border.
Slovakia is located on a migration route. People mainly try to travel to Germany and other Western European countries via Serbia and Hungary. Slovakia is part of the Schengen area, just like Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. Residents of the Schengen countries are allowed to travel freely within the zone. That is why people are actually only checked at the outer borders of the area.
But Schengen countries may introduce temporary controls if, for example, there is a serious threat to public order or public safety. As a result, Slovakia can now carry out checks at the border with Hungary.