Austria extends border controls with Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia

Austrian Minister of Internal Affairs Gerhard Karner decided to extend the period of temporary control on the borders with Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, Report informs, citing TASS.

According to the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, the Austrian internal minister described this measure as a 'consistent continuation of the combat against trafficking in humans [through the border].' According to Karner, the law enforcement officers of Austria are controlling the border crossing in close interaction with their colleagues from neighbor countries.

Random border control will remain on the border of Austria with Slovakia until December 12. Checks on persons entering the country from Hungary and Slovenia will continue until at least mid-May 2023.

Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia are part of the Schengen area with a unified border control system and the possibility of free movement between its countries. Despite this, the states that are parties to the agreement have the right to impose temporary controls on their borders in the event of serious threats. Austrian police began to control the border with Slovakia on September 29 due to an increase in the influx of illegal migrants. Random checks on the republic's borders with Hungary and Slovenia have been carried out since the migration crisis of 2015.