Poland and the Czech Republic have announced that they will extend the temporary controls on their borders with Slovakia ccuntil early November, as part of their efforts to curb the influx of illegal migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan. The decision follows a similar move by Slovakia, which also extended its border checks with Hungary for another month.
The Polish interior ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the government had decided to prolong the controls by 20 days to Nov. 2, after consulting with the European Commission and other Schengen countries. Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said that the measure had produced “good results” and “clear effects” in preventing illegal migration routes through Poland.
The Czech government also said on Wednesday that it would extend its border controls with Slovakia by 30 days to Nov. 4, citing the “serious threat to public order and internal security” posed by the migration situation. The Czech police said that they had detained more than 1,000 illegal migrants since the controls were introduced on Oct. 4.
Slovakia, which is a transit country for migrants who enter the European Union through Hungary from Serbia, has seen a sharp increase in the number of arrivals this year. According to government data, nearly 40,000 migrants have entered Slovakia in 2021, compared to about 3,500 in 2020. Most of them are from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Iran, and are seeking to reach Germany or other Western European countries.