Sweden Reintroduces Border Controls Citing “Terrorist Threats and Shortcomings” at External Borders

The decision was announced on Friday, May 6, in a press release that also notes that the overall terrorist threats in the country remain high, and the controls at the external borders are not enough to enforce security.

“Controls at the Schengen area’s external border are not adequately enforced, and many people who enter the Schengen area do not remain in their country of arrival but move relatively freely on to the other Member States,” the press release points out, inferring that this makes it easier for terrorists and other criminals to reach Sweden.

The new border checks will be introduced on the upcoming Thursday, May 12, and will remain effective up until November 11, based on the EU legislation.

Announcing the move, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Morgan Johansson, said that the reintroduction of border checks at the internal borders makes it easier for Swedish authorities to identify those wishing to enter the country who pose a risk to Sweden’s security.

“It can also help to identify potential perpetrators and thus prevent possible terrorist attacks,” the Minister says.

Starting from May 12, four other Schengen Area countries – Norway, Austria, Germany, and Denmark – are set to extend border controls, mainly citing terrorist threats, secondary movements, and organized criminality threats.

France, on the other hand, has extended border controls since May 1, and the same are set to remain effective up until October 31, 2022.

According to the Schengen Borders Code (SBC), the Member States are allowed to temporarily reintroduce border checks at the internal borders in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security. However, the Code also says that the duration of the border control should be limited to 30 days at most.

“If required, the reintroduction of border control can be prolonged for renewable periods of up to 30 days. The total period shall not exceed six months,” the Commission says, explaining the Code.

Yet, the majority of countries that currently have border controls in place have had them effective for years now, extending them every six months, citing the same reasons. Such extensions have only recently been deemed illegal by the European Court of Justice.

At the end of April this year, the Court of Justice of the EU has noted in a judgement that internal border checks reintroduced for periods longer than six months are against the Schengen Regulation.

In the judgement, the Court says that while the Member States are permitted to reintroduce border controls in cases when there is a serious threat to their public policy or internal security, the same cannot exceed a maximum total period of six months, as the period should be enough the Member Country to solve the issue and find other means to tackle it.