Slovakia follows example of neighbours by reinstalling border controls amid migrant influx

Slovakia intends to resume controls at its border with Hungary in order to reduce the growing numbers of irregular migrants entering the country.

As reported by TVP World, the measure was announced on October 4 and is set to take effect the following day. Bratislava's announcement was made on the same day that its neighbours, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland, reintroduced controls at their borders with Slovakia for at least 10 days to curb migration.

While Slovak Prime Minister Ludovit Odor criticized the neighbors’ border controls as he stressed the need for a Europe-wide solution to the migration problem, Robert Fico, the leader of the SMER-SSD party which has won the majority in the country's recent parliamentary elections, vowed to take a harsher stance regarding migration during his campaign.

He also voiced loud criticism of Slovakia's caretaker government for not doing more and for not suspending Europe’s Schengen “open border” rule.

The country has recorded almost 40,000 migrants since the beginning of the year, which is an 11-fold increase from last year. The majority of migrants use Slovakia as a transit country, arriving there through the Balkan route on their journey to Western Europe, which prompted its e neighbours to the West to make this decision which violates EU regulations.