Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) wants to apply to the EU Commission to extend border controls with Hungary and Slovenia by a further six months. He said that today in the Ö1 morning journal.
Karner said there had been “high migratory pressure” in the last year, so “it was necessary” to continue the controls. You can also see that the “numbers are declining”, which Karner described as the “result of these controls”.
The Minister of the Interior did not give any specific figures for the costs incurred for this, he is concerned “with security”. “Yes, it costs,” says Karner. “As long as the EU’s external border protection doesn’t work, we have to invest money,” said Karner.
Regarding the allegations of illegal border rejection by Croatia, Karner said that there were “allegations that must of course be examined.” But it also shows “how difficult it is to secure these borders.” When asked whether Croatia could use the Schengen Accession, which Austria agreed to while preventing Bulgaria and Romania from joining, will be “rewarded” for illegal activity, Karner said, “It’s not about rewards, it’s about a system working, external border protection working. Therefore, an external border control is necessary”
