Arguing that the security situation in the world has deteriorated, Slovenia has once again extended border controls with Croatia and Hungary for an additional six months, until December 21, 2024.
The decision has been confirmed by the Minister of Interior of Slovenia, Boštjan Poklukar, stressing that the government adopted the decree based on Article 25 of the Schengen Code, Schengen.News reports.
The Minister ensured that such a measure would not have a negative impact on passengers, residents, the environment and the economy, of Schengen.News reports.
The reasons stemmed from the security situation in the world. Recently, there have been threats that have a serious effect on security. This stems from the war in the Middle East, especially between Israel and Iran. The security situation has not improved, so we continue monitoring.
The Interior Minister of Slovenia warned about new security risks that have also emerged with Russian aggression against Ukraine, emphasizing that security services have arrested several people who came from third countries and may pose a security risk.
That is why we are particularly careful with our operations at the former crossings and check the entry of illegal aliens all the more.
Mentioning concerns related to the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, Ljubljana informed the European Commission regarding the temporary reintroduction of border controls for the first time on October 21, 2023. Since then, controls at the common borders between Slovenia Croatia and Hungary have been extended several times.
Slovenia, Italy & Croatia to Find Alternative Measures to Temporary Border Controls
Interior Minister of Slovenia, Boštjan Poklukar recently held a meeting with his counterparts from Italy, Matteo Piantedosi and Croatia, Davor Božinović, during which they discussed finding alternative measures to border controls, hoping that internal border controls between these territories could be lifted as soon as possible.
While frontier checks between these three countries will remain in place throughout the summer season, in a trilateral meeting held on June 18, Poklukar said he will strive to ensure that such controls are not extended beyond December 2024.
An alternative measure to border controls is joint police patrols on Schengen’s external borders, according to the Minister. Poklukar expressed Slovenia’s readiness to participate in such patrols.
Italian Minister of Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, said that since October 21, 2023, the Italian police had controlled over 422 people and 224,400 vehicles, and 1,800 foreign citizens were caught crossing the border irregularly, and therefore were returned.
He noted that it was primarily about citizens of Morocco, Syria, Turkey, Kosovo Afghanistan, and North Macedonia. Minister Piantedosi noted that during the same period, 190 people were arrested, taking into account 90 people who organized people smuggling across the border.
Croatian Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said that border controls didn’t impede daily activities for citizens of Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.
