International
At the working meeting between Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and his counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Vit Rakusan on October 6, 2023 in Vienna, topics on the agenda included “border controls” and the “Asylum and Migration Pact”.
Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner met with his counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Vit Rakusan on October 6, 2023. The topics of the working discussion were the joint fight against human trafficking human rights and asylum abuse, as well as the asylum and migration pact, which was decided in Brussels in June 2023. “Austria and the Czech Republic maintain intense cooperation in the area of security, especially in the fight against human trafficking human rights and asylum abuse,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. “We observe that criminal smugglers are increasingly using Slovakia, especially due to Austria’s consistent monitoring of the border with Hungary.”
In close coordination, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria have introduced border controls with Slovakia, which are also carried out in close cooperation with the Slovak authorities. “The common objective is to maintain these controls at internal borders for as short a time as possible, but for as long as necessary, with robust protection of external borders being essential”, stated the Minister of the Interior.
The Czech Republic and Austria have jointly campaigned for strong external border protection at the European Commission. As a result, great progress was achieved in the Council of Heads of State and Government. “It is crucial that the European Union now implements the package to reduce migratory pressure on Austria and the Czech Republic. Both countries have helped many people seeking protection. The Czech Republic has welcomed 382,000 people displaced by the war in Ukraine, and Austria has also it did. it made its contribution and achieved a lot in cooperation with countries, communities and aid organizations,” explained Karner. To continue providing help in the future, the system must be adequately protected against misuse.
For 17 years, police officers from the Czech Republic and Austria have worked together at the Drasenhofen Police Cooperation Center for the security of both countries. Given the challenges of international crime, this cooperation will continue to be gradually intensified. In October, Czech police officers from the national headquarters against terrorism, extremism and cybercrime visited Vienna to promote bilateral exchanges.
Article number: 26203 of Friday, October 6, 2023, 3:26 pm
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