Norway extends the temporary border control on ferries
Norway extends the temporary border control on ferries for six more months, Minister of Justice, Per-Willy Amundsen (Progress Party), told NTB.
The temporary border control was introduced into the wake of the refugee crisis in 2015. On Wednesday, the Minister of Justice announces that the check will be extended until 11 November. Last time, border controls were extended by just three months.
– We extend for the same reasons as before. The migrant situation indicates that it is necessary to continue, says Amundsen.
The EU commission asked Norway to phase out the temporary border control on ferry carriers in the course of half a year.
Norway is one of a total of five countries in the Schengen area, which has introduced temporary border control in the wake of the refugee crisis. The other four are Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Austria.
– This will be the last extension. I repeat: the last extension, said EU immigration commissioner Dimitri Avramopoulos on May 2nd this year.
Norway is considering itself
The Justice Minister has noted this and says the government is continuously considering the necessary measures.
“We will see ahead of time what to do and see if there are other provisions it may be appropriate to make use of if necessary,” says Per-Willy Amundsen (Frp).
At the same time, he emphasizes that this is an assessment Norway makes independently.
“We will do what we think is right for Norwegian interests, based on the security situation and from the migration situation,” says Amundsen.
The EU has repeatedly pointed out that border control at internal Schengen borders can only be carried out as a “last resort” and that the control must be targeted and as limited as possible.
Sampling
The Norwegian control applies to ferries arriving from Denmark, Sweden and Germany. The check is carried out on a random basis, and very few are denied entry.
Denmark checks ferry arrivals from Germany, while Sweden has control of ports in the south and west and on the Øresund Bridge. Germany controls the border with Austria, while Austria controls land borders against both Hungary and Slovenia.
The official justification for the order is that Greece does not have full control over their external borders.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
