Norway Extends Temporary Border Control Within EU Until June

Norway has extended the temporarily reinstated border controls with the borderless Schengen area until June 11 amid efforts to deter undocumented migrants, Justice Minister Anders Anundsen said Tuesday.

STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) — The country’s border controls, introduced on January 15, were due to expire on May 12. 

In Norway, Just One Per Cent Of Migrants Arriving At Northern Border Granted Asylum https://t.co/4ThhFpkn7U pic.twitter.com/mu1fCehj3i

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) 4 March 2016

​"In the Schengen area, there are many undocumented migrants, who may want to move to another country. Introduction of border controls in Norway has a good preventive effect on possible arrival [of new migrants]," Anundsen said in a statement, released to media.

According to the minister, the country’s authorities had not received any messages claiming that the controls have caused any inconvenience to ordinary travelers crossing the Norwegian border.

Norway’s move comes after Sweden, Denmark and Germany, too, prolonged the duration of their temporary controls within the Schengen zone in a bid to avoid the influx of refugees. 

Nearly all EU member states are part of the Schengen system, established in 1995 to facilitate the free movement of people and goods within the bloc. However, in response to the migrant crisis, in the past months EU member states including Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France and others have introduced strict border controls and toughened migration laws.