STOCKHOLM (Washington Insider Magazine) – Sweden announced on Friday that it will reintroduce temporary border restrictions at airports, ferry terminals, road crossings with neighboring countries, and other access points since a major threat to civil order and domestic security still persists.
The interim controls, according to the Swedish government, will begin immediately and remain until November 11, requiring tourists to present their visas and passports during that time.
The government did not specify a particular threat in its statement, but it did say that the security condition in Sweden’s region of Europe is incredibly serious, and that the overall terrorist danger level in the nation remains elevated.
Morgan Johansson, Sweden’s Justice Minister, pointed out that once within Europe’s Schengen Area, travelers may travel freely between 26 nations — 22 European Union members plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.
People and products normally flow freely between these nations with no border controls. For health or security reasons, temporary restrictions are permitted, and numerous other Schengen nations, including Denmark, Austria, Germany, and Norway, have implemented them, according to Johansson.
According to the minister, restoring border restrictions establishes the environment for identifying and regulating individuals seeking to enter the nation. It can also assist in identifying prospective terrorists and thereby preventing assaults.
At least 7 Schengen Area nations have implemented border controls, largely for security concerns or to assist stop the transmission of COVID-19. According to ABC NEWS, other nations, like Denmark, Austria, and France, renew them on a regular basis and have done so for years.
Last month, the European Union’s top court issued a judgment that might oblige nations to justify why they perform ID checks on persons who should be allowed to move freely throughout the Schengen Area without them.
The European Court of Justice concluded that nations must justify their border-crossing procedures, and that they must only do so if a genuine new threat emerges. According to the Schengen regulations, border restrictions cannot last more than 6 months in total.
