The dispute over border controls at the Slovenian-Austrian border is coming to a head. Austria has been extending controversial controls for eight years now – drawing the patience of its southern neighbor. Slovenia is now openly threatening retaliation: the inglorious dispute could end with a traffic jam in the south.
For several weeks now, Slovenia has expressed its dissatisfaction with the controls at the Schengen internal border, which are still in place. It is an “unacceptable and unjustified measure”, especially as the number of border crossings is “almost insignificant”, Slovenian ambassador Aleksander Geržina urged for an early end.
Ljubljana is already considering “all options”
On Thursday, Geržina joined the debate – and now apparently wants to get down to business: “All options are currently being explored in Ljubljana, including the introduction of border controls with Austria,” he explained to the “Tiroler Tageszeitung”. The top diplomat complained that Austria’s border controls had now been extended “for the 17th time”. “Slovenia can no longer accept this.”
Hardly any concerns worth mentioning
Geržina criticized that Austria’s approach to his country “contradicts the basic treaties and fundamental freedoms of the EU”. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has already recognized them as “illegitimate” – even the migration figures would not justify the controls, the argument goes.
In all of last year, about 60 migrants were returned to the Slovenian-Austrian border, and “only 13” in the past four months. “At the border with Italy, where a state of emergency has even been declared and the numbers are many times higher, Austria has never introduced controls,” said the ambassador.
Van der Bellen tries to mediate
Only on Monday, Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, during her first visit to Vienna, urged a solution to the conflict before the summer and expressed fear of traffic jams in holiday traffic. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also expressed the hope that border controls would end soon. In concrete terms, the former “border controls” could be replaced by “border area controls” as applied by Austria vis-à-vis Italy or Slovakia.
Government unwilling to compromise
However, the Austrian government is not thinking of implementing such a solution and seemed unfazed by the vehement calls from its neighboring country to the south. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) spoke on Tuesday about “increasing pressure on this side” regarding Slovenia. Therefore: “I consider it necessary to continue to enforce controls”.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) spoke negatively the same day after a meeting with his Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon in Rijeka, Croatia. Without going into details about Slovenia, he lamented the “dysfunctionality” of the Schengen area and the fact that Germany also controls the border with Austria.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
