Temporary Border Controls in the Schengen Zone
The Schengen Agreement is predicated on the fundamental principle of allowing the freedom of movement for its citizens within the Schengen Zone meaning no controls at the group's internal borders.
However, there are clauses in the treaty that provide for the temporary reinstatement of border controls, primarily when there is a threat to public order or internal security.
It's important to note that these temporary border controls often manifest as spot checks. These checks do not involve the examination of every individual crossing the border but rather a fraction of them.
It's crucial to emphasise that these measures do not amount to a complete restoration of internal borders. Instead, they serve as a targeted response to specific security concerns.
In 2023, at least seven Schengen states resorted to those provisions.
The Schengen members listed below currently have ongoing temporary border control with another member state.
Austria
Timeline: 28/10/2023 – 16/11/2023
Reason: High migratory pressure, extensive secondary migration, increase in trafficking along the illegal migration routes
Scope: Border with Czechia
Germany
Timeline: 26/10/2023 – 14/11/2023
Reason: Migratory situation via the Eastern Mediterranean route, the Balkan region and through the Eastern route, increase in human smuggling
Scope: Land borders with Poland, Czechia and Switzerland
Slovenia
Timeline: 21/10/2023 – 30/10/2023
Reason: Threats to public order and internal security in the EU, the situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine, recent terrorist attacks in some Member States, increased security risks due to organised crime in the Western Balkans and violent extremism, risk of infiltration in mixed migration flows
Scope: Internal borders with Croatia and Hungary
Italy
Timeline: 21/10/2023 – 30/10/2023
Reason: Raise of the threat of violence within the EU following the attack on Israel, risk of possible terrorist infiltration, constant migratory pressure by sea and by land, increase in the Central Mediterranean migratory flow
Scope: Land border with Slovenia.
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