Border controls with Croatia and Hungary extended until 21 December 2024
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia issued the Ordinance on the temporary reintroduction of controls at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia with the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Hungary at its meeting on 19 June 2024.
Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar announced the government's decision in a press statement. "Temporary controls at Slovenia's internal borders with Croatia and Hungary have been reintroduced for a period of six months, up to and including 21 December 2024. The legal basis is, as before, Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code. Temporary controls at the internal borders with Croatia and Hungary will continue as before and will not have a negative impact on travellers, the environment, the economy and the local border population."
As the minister said, there have recently been new threats arising from the conflicts in the Middle East, new risks associated with the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. There have been increased warnings about stepped-up hybrid actions by actors linked to the Russian Federation. Slovenia has already been the target of cyber attacks in recent months. In addition, the security services of some member states have arrested a number of people arriving from third countries as part of counter-terrorism operations on the European Union territory. In this context, migration flows may pose a security risk.
"Border measures to combat terrorism and prevent organised crime are of paramount importance for the internal security of Slovenia and the Schengen area as a whole in view of the two major sporting events taking place this year – the European Football Championship and the Olympic Games, which are international events with a high security threat level," said Minister Poklukar.
Minister Poklukar stressed that the Slovenian police were taking all necessary measures to prevent, detect and investigate illegal migration, including the detection of organised crime groups involved in human trafficking.
At the trilateral meeting with the Interior Ministers of Italy and Croatia in Gorizia on 18 June 2024, the ministers also discussed temporary border controls at internal borders. "We are working together to introduce as soon as possible an alternative measure to temporary border controls at internal borders – joint mixed patrols of all three countries at the external Schengen border," concluded Minister Poklukar.