European Union To Host Schengen Talks With Sweden, Denmark

Denmark imposed new temporary controls along its southern border with Germany Monday in a bid to counter the refugee influx.

“If the European Union can not protect the external border, you will see more and more countries forced to introduce temporary border controls”, he added.

The move by Sweden is an attempt to stop the flow of undocumented migrants into the country known for its generous welfare system.

More than a million migrants fleeing conflict in the Middle East and beyond sought shelter in Europe in 2015.

Hungary built a razor-wire fence along its border to keep migrants out.

Also Monday, Sweden imposed new restrictions, saying people entering from Denmark will have to show photo identification.

Danish officials have criticized the move and suggested Sweden should pay for the cost of the ID checks.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in November a year ago that his country had been “naive” about immigration when he announced curbs to offering permanent residence to asylum seekers.

The broader European Union response to the migration and refugee crisis has been bogged down by administrative delays and political infighting between member states.

“More and more companies point to the fact that they are finding it hard to find qualified labour, and if we come to a situation where Swedes start dropping Denmark, then companies will be even more challenged”.

German officials, while generally refraining from specific remarks about the Danish decision, expressed concern about the future of passport-free travel across Europe.

Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth said of the Danish movement that “it will have to be watched very carefully whether and how this affects migration northward from Germany”. He acknowledged, however, that the influx of migrants was putting enormous strains on the system.

Sweden’s left-leaning government initially had a welcoming attitude to migrants, but reversed course after more than 160,000 Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans and others applied for asylum in 2015, the highest number in Europe except for Germany.

On Monday, Denmark said it would, once again, begin checking passports from all arrivals at its border with Germany.

As of midnight Sunday, Sweden demanded that all passengers traveling by train from Denmark show ID, something that hasn’t been required since the 1950s.

“We can not deprive people of their rights to seek asylum”, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday, the Associated Press reports.

Refugee rights advocates warned of a domino effect, with European countries tightening their borders one by one and cutting off the main migrant routes through Europe.

Albig said the state has appealed to Denmark to apply the measure as briefly as possible to minimize damage.

“The Swedish border control is a potential growth killer for the Danish economy”, she said.

Denmark and Sweden both joined the Schengen zone in 2001, which allows much of the EU and a handful of other European countries to operate as single country for worldwide travel purposes, with the removal of internal borders and a common visa policy.