Speaking at the session of the Council of the European Union Justice and Interior Ministers in Brussels on September 18, Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák said that the preparations for the Schengen Zone's enlargement are continuing in line with the planned schedule.
According to Kaliňák, Slovakia - as well as the Czech Republic - will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Austria regarding co-operation in border patrols.
"It mainly includes common patrols within EU borders, as well as joint police activities such as searches, the exchange of information, and joint co-ordination centres,” he explained. “This Memorandum of Understanding specifies how we will prepare joint patrols and how they will function after checks are abolished, as there will be no checks directly on border checkpoints, but we will continue in common monitoring of the green border. The initiative came from the Austrians, and Slovakia accepts it without any reservations.”
Kaliňák doesn't expect Austria to demand any transitional periods following the Schengen Zone's enlargement. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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