Austria will continue border checks on its border with Slovakia as long as necessary, according to Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
Slovakia is ready to protect the border and contribute to the scrapping of checks as soon as possible. Austria last extended checks on the Slovak border by 20 days on November 3. Karner emphasised the need for measures at the EU level to protect the Schengen zone’s external borders effectively. Slovakia has recorded a 430-percent increase in the number of illegal migrants compared to last year.
However, Sutaj Estok stated that the intensity of illegal migration on Slovak borders has decreased since he took office less than a month ago. The Visegrad Four countries, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, plus Austria and Germany, are scheduled to discuss ways to address illegal migration next week.
They will also discuss cooperation with the countries of migrant origin and transit countries. Karner mentioned a training centre for border police that has been opened in Tunisia. The Slovak and Austrian ministers signed a new bilateral agreement on cooperation between their police forces concerning concealed border measures.
