Slovenia will extend controls on the border with Croatia and Hungary for another six months, ie until December 21, Slovenian Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar announced on Wednesday, reports the Slovenian agency STA.
Poklukar said that surveillance will continue to be aimed at preventing crime, with as little impact on the local population as possible. Slovenia decided to do so on the day when the Italian Ministry of the Interior announced that controls on the border with Slovenia will continue for another six months, writes the Italian agency ANSA.
Slovenia and Italy introduced these controls in October due to the deterioration of the security situation in the Middle East and the increased threat of terrorism.
As Poklukar explained at the press conference, the situation there has not improved or is getting worse.
“Since the situation has not improved, and the security situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, Slovenia will extend controls for the next six months,” said Poklukar.
Two major events in the EU this summer – the European Football Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in France – require extra attention at the borders, according to the interior minister.
According to the minister, the controls will be targeted as before. On Wednesday, Poklukar informed his colleagues in Croatia and Hungary about the extension by phone. ANSA writes that Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi said in a telephone conversation with Poklukar that the decision to extend controls is partly related to the increased level of security due to the Italian presidency of the G7 format.
The Italian presidency will last until December 31 this year, and the most important meeting, the one attended by the leaders of seven countries, will be held from June 13 to 15 in Puglia, according to the official website.
In March, Croatian Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović expressed the hope that internal border controls will be replaced by another mechanism of cooperation by the start of the tourist season.
On Wednesday, Poklukar expressed the hope that Slovenia, Croatia and Italy will be able to agree on mixed police patrols that would help in monitoring the external Schengen border in Croatia.
“That is one of the alternative measures, so then it would be possible to abolish the internal control of Italy and Slovenia and Slovenia and Croatia and Hungary, but that agreement has not yet been reached,” he said, pointing out that now it is Croatia’s turn.
Poklukar assessed that the Slovenian control is effective because the police, among other things, processed more than 26,000 unauthorized crossings of the Slovenian border, and refused entry to Slovenia for more than 1,500 people because they did not meet the requirements.
