Brussels, 08/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - Austria has begun erecting a 3.7 kilometre-long fence along its border with Slovenia, which, like Austria, is a member of the Schengen area, to manage the inflow of migrants, AFP reported on Monday 7 December.
The ruling Social Democrat-Conservative coalition in Austria announced on 13 November, before the terrorist attacks in Paris, that it intended to erect a mesh fence, with no barbed wire, 3.7 kilometres in length and some 2 metres high. Preparatory work began at the Spielfeld border post with workers driving posts into the ground, AFP said. The Austrian government has given assurances that the fence would be “easily dismantled” and that it was “in line with Schengen”.
When asked on 8 December, the Commission said that it had been informed by the Austrian government of the measure which forms part of the temporary reintroduction of controls at internal borders. The Austrian authorities had indicated, the Commission added, that the fence was intended to ensure that migrants do not avoid crossing points that have been set up to carry out border controls. Vienna says that it was obliged to erect the fence because of the high number of migrants arriving over the last few weeks.
The Commission line is that these measures comply with Schengen rules, provided that they do not become permanent and are reduced to the strict minimum necessary to ensure safety at the border crossing points. They are also in line with the Schengen Borders Code in that the Austrian authorities are channelling movement through the crossing point and are making sure that the steps taken to ensure orderly crossing of the border are not circumvented, the Commission says. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)