On Friday, an announcement from Denmark’s Ministry of Justice confirmed that it would be extending border controls on its border with Germany for a further six months. The country was under investigation by the EU in the summer for allegedly prolonging temporary controls continually from 2016 onwards.
One of the reasons given for the extended border controls on Denmark’s border with Germany was “current migration pressure,” reported the German news agency dpa. The increase in the number of asylum seekers and migrants coming in to countries like Germany has prompted Denmark to prolong its temporary border control status.
In the current border control notification, listed on the Home Affairs website for the European Commission, Denmark says its border controls are due to “Islamist terrorist threat, organized crime, smuggling, Russian invasion of Ukraine, irregular migration along the Central Mediterranean route.” It says it is controlling not only the land border with Germany but also all ports with ferry connections to Germany.
Fighting crime in the border area, as well as a fear of an increased threat of terrorism after repeated Koran burnings in Denmark in the summer were also given as reasons for the continued border checks, stated a spokesperson from the Danish Justice Ministry.
“There is also a prominent, widespread and persistent threat from foreign intelligence services,” added a statement from the ministry, according to dpa.
Continuous extension?
In the summer, Denmark tightened its border controls and the general terrorist threat alert following a spate of Koran burnings in the country. But on August 3, although checks were to continue, the Danish intelligence services told dpa that they would be carried out on a random basis and much less frequently.
At times, Denmark has also placed controls on its borders with Sweden and Norway, but by the summer, these had been rolled back completely, reported dpa.
Nevertheless, the continuation of some level of controls on what is meant to be the European Free Travel area, Schengen, are only ever meant to be temporary. The European Union keeps a list of which countries have introduced temporary controls. Its rules state that internal border controls “must be applied as a last resort measure, in exceptional situations, and must respect the principle of proportionality.”
In the summer, the new portal Schengen Visa Info, which reports on migration and travel within the Schengen area, said the European Commission had decided to launch an investigation into whether or not Denmark had been systematically prolonging the temporary controls without pause since 2016.
In a report dated August 17, Schengen Visa Info said they spoke to an official at the Commission who said that they had started the consultation process to see whether the “systematic prolongation of border controls is in line with the EU law.”
At least nine countries operate controls currently within Europe
In February this year, the Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgard has been reported as saying by Schengen Info that he didn’t think his country’s extension of controls was illegal. He said Denmark had always communicated openly with the European Commission, and he thought that if they had found it illegal “then the Commission would have taken steps within the rules to have it stopped.”
Currently, according to the EU’s temporary border controls website, there are nine countries operating temporary border controls, some on several of their borders with neighbors. According to clauses in the Schengen rules, any border control can be set for up to 30 days and then prolonged. The total period of control should not exceed six months. Member states should notify the Commission within at least four weeks of the planned reintroduction of any border control. If immediate action needs to be taken, a member state can introduce the border control for “ten days without prior notification.” These emergency introduction periods can then be prolonged for periods of up to 20 days, but the overall border control in this case should not exceed two months.
German controls extending to 2024
Germany is currently operating controls on its land border with Austria, due to “an increase in irregular migration from Türkiye through the Western Balkans,” as well as “strain on the asylum reception system” and the presence of “human smuggling.” Although these controls are due to end in November, Germany has already applied for an extention due to start the same day and continue until May 11 next year.
For similar reasons, Austria is operating controls on its land borders with Hungary and Slovenia. The current period of control began in May 2023 and is due to on November 11. It has already notified the EU of a continuation of these controls until at least May 11 next year. In addition, Austria added short term controls with Slovakia on October 14 which are due to end on November 2.
Poland and the Czech Republic are both operating temporary controls on their borders with Slovakia, which were extended on October 14 and are due to continue initially until November 2. Slovakia is operating controls on its internal border with Hungary which also were extended on October 15 and are due to continue until at least November 3.
France controls all its borders with neighbors
Due to an “Islamist terrorist threat,” as well as “recent threats by terrorist organizations, statements by state actors, a serious threat to public policy and internal security,” Sweden has controls at all its borders.
France too will prolong its border controls from November 1 to April 30, next year, due to “new terrorist threats and external borders situation.” Its current border controls, which are due to end on October 31 this year, controlled internal borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. A post on the Home Affairs website for the European Commission mentioned an “increase in irregular entry flows at the external borders (from the Central Mediterranean and the Western Balkans)” as one of the main reasons for the checks.
Norway too has controls at its borders which are currently due to end on November 11 this year. It says that threats to “critical on-shore and off-shore infrastructures, as well as the ‘Russian intelligence’ threat to Norway” are reasons for its controls.
Source : Info Migrants