Slovenia has extended temporary border controls with Croatia and Hungary until December 21, citing continued security concerns in Europe’s neighborhood and the wider international environment.
The decision was adopted by the Slovenian government at a session on Thursday, according to reports citing Slovenia’s STA news agency. The controls have been in place since October 2023, when Ljubljana introduced them in response to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and an increased threat of terrorism.
The government said the security situation around the European Union and globally remains unstable and continues to affect the internal security of EU member states. Slovenia’s authorities pointed to several risks, including Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, hybrid threats, disinformation campaigns, destabilizing activities, illegal migration flows, cross border organized crime, and the misuse of transport and logistics routes.
Slovenia first introduced checks on its borders with Croatia and Hungary on October 21, 2023. Italy introduced similar controls on its border with Slovenia at the same time and has also continued extending them. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said earlier this week that Rome would again prolong its border checks, adding that they are not expected to disrupt cross border traffic or trade.
Slovenian officials said security agencies will continue monitoring potential risks in the country and the wider region, as well as the effects of the border controls. The government said the goal remains to return to a situation without internal border checks within the Schengen Area as soon as security conditions allow.
Ljubljana has also instructed its Foreign Ministry to notify EU member states, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission about the extension of the temporary controls.
