Slovenia – Slovenia has followed Italy and other European Union states in reintroducing border controls at its checkpoints with other Schengen Zone members, in Slovenia’s case Hungary and Croatia. As all of these countries are members of the visa-free Schengen Zone, ordinarily there would be no controls when crossing between them. But Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza, which has led to many civilian deaths and heightened tensions between Israel’s allies in the West and the Islamic world, has some officials concerned that there is now an increased chance of terrorist attacks through the illegal migration flows into Europe.
An increase threat of terrorism
Slovenia’s terrorism threat level was raised from two to three along a five-point alert system in October, and remains unchanged as of now. As a result, Slovene law enforcement officers are working with their colleagues in neighboring states to carry out increased border patrols and related measures.
The country’s Minister of the Interior, Boštjan Poklukar, stated that the return of border checks would not lead to any inconvenience for those who live in the most affected areas. „My instruction to the police commissioner was to ensure normal life and normal crossing for the people who live along the border,” Poklukar said in a statement, adding that he was working with his Italian counterparts to ensure a smooth transition. Poklukar explained that this concern emerges from the country’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when border controls were similarly reintroduced, leading to life becoming “unbearable” for those who had to cross on a regular basis.
Terrorism not the only fear
Slovenia’s move is not entirely the result of fears of terrorism, however. Croatia was only allowed to join the Schengen Zone at the start of this year. Since then, however, the number of illegal migrants who have crossed into Slovenia from Croatia has soared, with the Slovene police having reported the arrest of 48,000 so far in 2023 – which is more than three times the number detained in 2022. Slovenia also claims that a greater number of organized crime elements are passing through its Schengen borders. Given this new reality, the reintroduction of border checks was expected even before the new explosion of violence in the Middle East.
Slovenia reintroduced border controls on October 21. They are currently slated to run through December 21, although it is expected that the authorities will then extend the measures by an additional six months, as per Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code.
Slovenia maintains 12 border crossings with Croatia and two with Hungary, plus additional ones that only local residents can pass through.