Sweden says 26000 minors sought refuge recently

Schroeder was speaking after meeting with European Union migration chief Dimitris Avramopoulos and with Danish and Swedish officials to discuss temporary border controls after Denmark implemented spot checks on its border, raising new concerns about the durability of the EU’s passport-free Schengen area.

A German government spokesman said the moves by Stockholm and Copenhagen, taken in response to the growing pressures of the migration crisis, had put the Schengen free movement system “in danger”.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen cited the Swedish checks to justify his country’s immediate introduction of random border controls. Fearful that migrants who otherwise would pass through on their way to Sweden would now be unable to leave, Denmark swiftly moved to impose new controls on people traveling via its border with Germany.

Sweden, a country of 9.8 million people known for its generous asylum policies, took in an estimated 160,000 asylum seekers a year ago alone. “Shortly after, neighbouring Border+Controls+with+Germany+to+Curb+Migrant+Flow” Denmark announced that it was temporarily introducing tougher controls on its border with Germany as a direct result of Sweden’s decision.

On Monday, extra security staff was on hand at the Danish side of the Oresund crossing, a major entry point for migrants and refugees hoping to start a new life in Sweden.

The prime minister added that “you will see more and more countries forced to introduce temporary border controls” due to the European Union being unable to protect its outer borders.

On Monday, Danish and Swedish authorities closely followed the traffic situation surrounding the Øresund bridge which connects the two Scandinavian countries and which 30,000 people cross on a daily basis.

More than 1 million migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq sought asylum in Europe in 2015, according to the United Nations.

Sweden’s migration minister says that the equivalent of 1,000 classrooms full of unaccompanied minors and children have arrived in the country recently seeking refuge.

Under the new rules, rail passengers will have to exit the train and clear checkpoints before boarding the train again.

An inflatable dinghy discovered in early December on the shores of the southern town of Skillinge raised suspicions of such a crossing, but border police said it was “very unlikely” the boat had been used to such ends.

Around 15,000 commuters cross the strait between Sweden and Denmark every day and there are worries that businesses in Sweden’s Skane region and in Copenhagen will be hit. Finland has issued news releases in Arabic detailing restrictions, with the apparent aim of warning would-be asylum seekers that the country is not a paradise.

The commission said that, following an initial analysis, Denmark’s reintroduction of border controls for an initial 10-day period appears to be in line with Schengen rules.

Denmark said it would impose checks at its border with Germany to prevent a build-up – Calais-style – of migrants within Denmark.