The checks will be random and along the entire length of the border. Photo: Czech-Slovak border at Lanžhot-Kůty. Credit: Kirk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Prague, Oct 3 (CTK) – The Czech Republic will introduce checks at the border with Slovakia as of Wednesday in response to an increase in the number of refugees, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) wrote on X/Twitter this morning.
According to Interior Minister Vit Rakusan (STAN), the checks will be random and along the entire length of the border.
According to the cabinet officials, the Czech Republic is coordinating its policy with Poland, which is also introducing similar measures. The checks are planned to last until 13 October, but any extension will depend on the current situation.
A year ago, the Czech Republic set up border checks at the Czech-Slovak border due to the influx of refugees in late September, but lifted the measure in early February.
“The numbers of irregular migrants entering the EU are starting to rise again. We do not take this lightly and are reacting quickly to the situation. Thanks to the checks, we will be able to better ensure the safety of our citizens,” Fiala said .
The measures will start working from midnight tonight. “The checks will be carried out randomly along the entire length of the border with Slovakia, so as to restrict cross-border traffic as little as possible and not to burden traffic and passengers unnecessarily,” Rakusan said.
The Czech authorities are in contact with their counterparts in Slovakia, Austria, and Germany, he said.
The Interior Ministry said in a press release that it would carry out random checks along the entire border. “Please note that citizens need a valid passport or ID card to cross the border,” it noted.
Anyone can be checked, so the Interior Ministry recommends that people near the border carry valid documents.
The police will carry out the checks with their own forces, and cooperation with the customs authority is envisaged.
Police officers will mainly focus on road and rail crossings, but checks may also involve pedestrians and cyclists. There are 27 former border crossings between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, including 17 road, seven rail and three river crossings, the Interior Ministry added.
