Immigration to Europe – Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic monitor the border with Slovakia – News

Controls within the Schengen Area: Young people from Africa or Afghanistan in particular cross the border.

Border control within the European Union again: Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic re-imposed border controls with Slovakia. An increasing number of illegal immigrants heading to Western Europe has been observed in Slovakia. Most of them are young people from the Middle East and Afghanistan. Most of them came via the so-called Balkan route. In Europe’s Schengen Area, border controls have already been abolished.

Provisional ranking: Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said that the controls would be in place for ten days.

long green border: “If the goal is to prevent many people from coming to Western Europe, these controls will be of no use,” says Sarah Novotny, SRF’s Eastern Europe correspondent. “There are hundreds of kilometers of green borders, you can barely monitor them.”

The fortifications, i.e. the border fence, are easy to climb or simply cut down.

Missing border guards: Novotny said there is a shortage of staff at the borders in many countries. “A border guard in Bulgaria earns about 500 francs a month, which is not enough to live a good life there either. It is easy to climb over the fences or simply cut them.

More violent traffickers: The reporter said that it has also become clear that smugglers are behaving more violently than before. A border guard was shot dead in Bulgaria. “Tractors no longer stop at a stop, thus causing accidents.”

legend:

On the Czechoslovakian border, there is a sign indicating the country’s borders

Reuters/Radovan Stolacka

The Balkan Route is further north than before: The route of the so-called Balkan Route has changed. It now extends further north than before. The fact that refugees move through Slovakia to Poland and from there to Germany constitutes a new development. Consequences: “Refugees are appearing in areas where local residents have never seen large numbers of people from other continents. This scares them.” She cites eastern Slovakia and southern Poland as examples.

Exploiting border protection politically: Border protection is also used politically: elections will soon be held in several Eastern European countries. Novotny said it would be good for a conservative party on the campaign trail to point to increased border protection.

You cannot come to Hungary and apply for asylum there.

There are no structures for asylum seekers: Novotny says there is no longer a de facto asylum system in some Eastern European countries. She takes Hungary as an example: “You cannot come to Hungary and apply for asylum there.” Bulgaria also has a dysfunctional asylum system. “Even people who are really at risk don’t get asylum. You have to expect deportation.” That is why, in their opinion, the planned redistribution of migrants within the EU will not work, especially since almost no one wants to stay in Eastern Europe. Poor asylum structures to exacerbate this effect.

This is what Switzerland does: The Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (BAZG) announced on September 28 that it would transfer additional employees from German-speaking Switzerland to the southern border.