Security question – Karner: Internal border controls if necessary

What these internal border controls should look like, according to Karner, is a topic at the meeting of EU interior ministers on Friday.

In the Schengen area, which includes 26 European countries, there are actually no permanent identity checks at national borders. In recent years, however, several states have made an exception and reintroduced controls. In the case of Austria, this has led to dissatisfaction, especially in its southern neighbor Slovenia, which sees no objective justification for the controls.

The ECJ recently ruled that Austria has not been able to prove that there has been a serious threat to public order required for the checks since 2017. A final decision rests with the competent court in Austria. This was appealed to Luxembourg’s highest court after a Union citizen challenged an administrative fine issued at the border with Slovenia.

“Robust protection at the external borders”
The issue of migration is also on the agenda of the EU’s interior ministers. Karner reiterated his call for “robust, functioning protection of the external borders”. The interior minister “rejects” statements about the redistribution of asylum seekers (see video above), as planned by the French presidency. He opposed “sending the wrong signal to the smugglers, Europe is open, Europe is accommodating,” Karner said.