In a move to impede the surge of illegal migration, Poland and the Czech Republic have declared that they will maintain extended border controls with Slovakia until November 2nd. The move, which seeks to curb illicit crossings by road, rail and on foot, comes as part of a larger commitment by all three nations to regulate migratory flows. Mariusz Kaminski, Poland’s Interior Minister, confirmed the extension in a recent statement, indicating a frequency increase in checks, particularly along the infamous Balkan migration route. The span of the interim measure has essentially doubled, pushing forward from the initial 10-day limit to 20 days.
In a follow-up press briefing, the Interior Minister presented that over a two-week period, authorities had apprehended 551 irregular migrants. These individuals, many of whom lacked proper documentation, were intending to travel through Eastern Europe to Germany via Slovakia, conforming to instructions from smugglers.
Simultaneously, the Czech Republic is taking measures to fortify restrictions on unlawful migration – the nation’s Interior Minister, Vit Rakusan, is among others devising further strategies. One notable step is the formation of readmission agreements with origins of the migrant populations, such as Uzbekistan.
All of these endeavors have largely received the endorsement of many governments acknowledging that border checks effectively manage the flux of illicit movement. Included in this are an array of countries in the EU’s Schengen open-border zone, notably Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. This region maintains a unified set of rules for external border controls while affording EU citizens unrestricted movement.
For further reading, please see the original report here.