Brussels, 23/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 23 October, the European Commission deemed that the border controls set up in Germany and Austria in mid-September to regulate the arrivals of migrants were compatible with the Schengen Borders Code.
Having analysed the proportionality of, and need for, these measures, the Commission deemed that the decisions were motivated by “serious threats to internal security and to public order caused by an extraordinary flow of people looking for international protection”. These reasons justify the temporary re-establishment of controls. The Commission will publish another opinion on Hungary - which decided on 17 October to re-establish controls on its border with Slovenia.
On 22 September 2015, Germany registered 527,000 asylum seekers, mainly Syrians, compared with 239,000 in 2014. Between 5-29 September alone, nearly 247,000 refugees entered Germany. In Austria, 194,467 people were apprehended in the south-east of the country, of whom 7,080 applied for protection between 5 September-1 October. Both Germany and Austria have requested an extension for these controls which, theoretically, must come to an end in mid-November. Slovenia has put a stop to the temporary controls with Hungary. The Maltese authorities have meanwhile also requested the re-introduction of controls for a month on the island as part of the Valletta summit. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)