The Slovenia Times

Home minister protests with Brussels over internal border checks

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In her letter to Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, the minister argues that the extension of the regime on the internal Schengen border is unwarranted.

She maintains that the threat to the Schengen area, which could be a reason to extend border checks on internal borders, may be objectively measured mainly by the number of illegal border crossings.

However, she says that the Austrian authorities last year returned only 76 persons to Slovenia, so it is impossible to talk of such a heightened level of threat.

"The Schengen zone with the right to free movement without internal borders is one of the fundamental assets of the European Union, in particular for an open country with a geographic location such as Slovenia.

"However, Schengen is facing a serious test and it will depend on our further steps whether it will successfully pass the test," Györkös Žnidar writes in the letter as cited by Večer.

The minister goes on to condemn the abuse of political reasons for what she calls artificial extension of control on internal borders, which she says may lead to the EU's disintegration.

She blames Austria's "unwarranted measures" for daily congestions with kilometres-long tailbacks of vehicles in front of the shared Karavanke motorway tunnel, which jeopardise the right to free movement of people and goods and are causing damage to business.

Slovenian MEP Tanja Fajon (S&D/SD) meanwhile called on Avramopoulos at a meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs today to explain the Commission's decision to extend border controls.

Like Györkös Žnidar, she believes that the controls are unnecessary as the Western Balkan route remains closed and that the controls cause economic damage for Slovenia.

"Slovenia suffers exceptional economic damage every day. And it will only get worse when the updated rules of the Schengen, which introduce even stricter border controls, enter into force."

Avramopoulos, who confirmed getting the home minister's letter, told Fajon that the Commission would discuss the mater on Wednesday and that "we must get back to Schengen as soon as possible, mobility of people is key".

Several of the 26 member states of the passport-free Schengen zone reinstated checks on their borders during the refugee crisis in autumn 2015, and have been extending the measure since. The last extension expires in mid-February.

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