According to Karner, cross-border cooperation is necessary for a successful fight against smuggling. He reminded that since the beginning of February, mobile controls and monitoring have been carried out in border areas, in which Austrian and Slovak police officers cooperate.
On the Austrian side, police officers from Vienna and Lower Austria take part in them. Mixed patrols are deployed on trains from Bratislava to Vienna, and checks are also carried out at railway stations. In Lower Austria, mixed patrols operate in the area on the border with Slovakia.
At the beginning of February, Austria canceled border controls with Slovakia. They were introduced at the end of September 2022 in connection with the increase in illegal migration and the need to limit the activity of smuggling mafias. Instead of them, mobile teams are patrolling the border area based on an agreement with the Slovak authorities, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior stated on its official website in February. However, controls at the Austrian borders with Hungary and Slovenia continue.
(TASR)
