The government of the Czech Republic announced on Wednesday that it will extend for 20 days, until November 22, arbitrary control on the border with Slovakia to prevent illegal immigration, writes AFP.

Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland introduced border controls with Slovakia in early October and then extended them until November 2.

Recently, an increase in the number of migrants and asylum seekers has been recorded in Slovakia, who mostly came from Serbia via Hungary and headed for the wealthier countries of Western Europe.

“Until there is a truly effective protection of the EU’s external borders, we must fight the impact of illegal immigration on the internal borders of the Schengen area,” Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakušan said on the X platform, formerly Twitter.

Between January and August, Slovakia turned in around 24,000 undocumented migrants, compared with 10,900 for all of last year, and on October 5 introduced border controls with Hungary in response to measures taken a day earlier by Prague, Vienna and Warsaw.

The authorities of Austria and Poland have not yet commented on this latest decision of the Czech Republic, reports AFP.

Germany, where many migrants and asylum seekers are headed, tightened controls on its eastern border with the Czech Republic and Poland at the end of September. Austria also announced border controls with the Czech Republic on October 17.

All the countries that are strengthening controls are members of the European Union and the Schengen Area.

The re-introduction of border controls in the Schengen area is permitted in exceptional circumstances and Brussels must be informed before such controls are introduced. (Source: Agerpres / Photo: Dreamstime.com)