Tightening controls within the EU’s Schengen Zone has been among the main requirements of the Swedish government, addressed through a letter to the Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Sweden has also urged the enhancement of the exchange of information between the intelligence and police services of the 27 EU Member States and the cessation of any type of financing for activities linked to terrorism.
Stockholm also called on to make the repatriation mechanism provided by the new Migration Pact and asylum effective using the so-called article 25, which blocks the entry documentation into the EU of third countries that do not cooperate on repatriation.
As part of an effort to tighten irregular migration, authorities in Sweden have introduced several measures.
Recently, the government of Sweden announced that it plans to reduce benefits for immigrants from non-EU countries to discourage migrants from reaching this country.
Furthermore, the government also plans to introduce reforms requiring those from non-EU countries to learn Swedish and compete for jobs in the country’s highly skilled labour market.
War between Israel and Hamas and irregular border crossing attempts are the main reasons leading several European countries to introduce border controls, with Italy, Croatia and Slovenia being the latest countries to introduce such measures.
Denmark, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Poland and Czechia also initiated frontier checks as part of efforts to protect their countries better and prevent people from reaching their territories in an unlawful way.
Besides, authorities in Italy announced that they decided to extend border controls with Slovenia for another 20 days, as confirmed by the Minister of the Interior of Italy, Matteo Piantedosi.
The measure has been extended from October 31 for another 20 days, in agreement with the Slovenian and Croatian governments, but its duration will also depend on how the international scenarios evolve. – Minister Luca Cirian
The figures from the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) revealed that in the first nine months of this year, a total of 279,350 people attempted to reach the EU’s external borders in an irregular way, thus accounting for the most significant increase since 2016.
Data from Frontex noted that the Central Mediterranean route accounted for half of the detections of irregular border crossing attempts, with the Western Balkans being the most active migration route in September this year.
