Sweden announced it will introduce temporary border checks in a bid to control the influx of refugees entering the country.
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Janto Marzuki via CNNAnders Ygeman, Sweden’s interior minister, said they had already welcomed more refugees per capita than any other country in the European Union (EU).The government has also asked companies running ferries between Germany and Sweden to require passengers to show their identity papers, though the authorities have no way of forcing them to comply.
However, with the crisis showing no sign of letting up, Germany told the European Commission it would keep them in place until October 31st as “the situation at the border is such that we can not do without them”.
THE Swedish government is to impose temporary border controls as it struggles to house a record number of refugees, a turnaround for a country known for its open door policies that also threw down the gauntlet to other European Union nations.
The developments coincide with the final day of a migration summit of European and African leaders.
Meanwhile, further south in Europe, Slovenia has begun stringing razor wire along its border in an attempt to gain control over the refugee crisis.
Anders Ygeman said Wednesday that “Sweden is the country that has taken the greatest responsibility for the refugee crisis” and that “the other countries also have to take their responsibility”.
“People are forced to sleep in tents, in offices and in evacuation centres” normally used for natural disasters, Migration Agency spokesman Mikael Hvinlund said.
It followed similar moves by countries such as Germany and France – which Sweden had so far resisted – and came after a formal request from the Migration Agency which said it was no longer able to guarantee shelter for refugees. With last week’s arrivals factored in, the total number of asylum seekers arriving in Norway this year is at 24,400, meaning the country is on course to this year receive three times the 11,480 people who sought asylum in 2014. “Re-establishing border controls can help us”, he said.
Sweden initially said it would grant residency to all Syrian refugees that came to its shores, according to Bloomberg Business.
The mass influx has overwhelmed European border authorities and countries simply to do not have the capacity to accommodate everyone.
In a draft of the summit action plan, obtained by The Associated Press, the leaders pledge to “enhance recognition of the European Union laissez passer”. “Many people are anxious about what the future will bring and how that will affect the welfare state”, he said.
The decision to reinstate border checks is temporary and valid for 10 days but can be renewed for up to six months under Schengen regulations on free movement.
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Since Hungary closed its border, Slovenia has become a main route through the Balkan states that refugees have been taking to get into Western Europe.
