The Čirč - Leluchów border crossing on Oct. 4, 2023. (source: TASR)
In response to Austria, Poland and Czechia’s decision to reintroduce border checks with Slovakia to curb increased illegal migration, Slovakia will tighten its border with Hungary.
Random border checks will start at 7:00 on Thursday.
Austria, Poland and Czechia reintroduced border checks with Slovakia today.
PM Ódor: Border checks are not a solution
Acting Slovak PM Ľudovít Ódor said the measure will not solve the issue of illegal migration. “In the end, illegal migrants will not disappear. Therefore, we prefer a European solution,” he said on Wednesday, adding that border checks waste people’s time and put a strain on the state budget.
He plans to table the topic at an informal meeting of EU leaders in Spain on October 6.
“If we don’t want to say goodbye to the Schengen Area, the EU had better deal with illegal migration,” said the prime minister, comparing illegal migration to a “hot potato” that no country wants to deal with.
Ódor said there would be no problem with borders if Poland, which will hold parliamentary elections next Sunday, had not announced checks on its border with Slovakia yesterday. Migration is a major topic in the Polish election campaign.
Slovakia shares a 655-kilometre border with Hungary, including 35 border crossings. Currently, there are no plans for checks at green borders between both countries, which is partly formed by rivers.
“We cannot close the border hermetically,” said Ódor. “Only the weather will probably stop illegal migrants.”
Western Slovakia saw an influx of illegal migrants last autumn, and a few weeks ago, there were similar problems in southern and northern Slovakia.
Checks may affect Slovak security
Illegal migrants see Slovakia as the first safe country they can arrive in. Slovak police are obliged to register every detained illegal migrant and the confirmation document they receive allows them to move around Slovakia. However, many illegal migrants wrongly believe that the document allows them to travel to other Schengen Area countries, including Germany. If the police, say, in Poland or Czechia detain illegal migrants with this paper, they are returned to Slovakia. But illegal migrants do not want to stay in Slovakia and the country cannot return illegal migrants to Hungary as Hungary is not honouring a migrant readmission agreement with Slovakia.
In its latest decree, the Slovak government notes that the accumulation of illegal migrants in Slovakia following the introduction of internal border checks by its neighbours may affect Slovakia's security.
From the beginning of 2023 to October 1, 2023, Slovakia registered 39,688 illegal migrants, which is an eleven-fold increase compared to the same period last year.
Between Thursday and October 14, several hundred police officers and soldiers will carry out check suspicious vehicles at each of 35 border crossings with Hungary.
The 10-day operation will cost €1.4 million.
