Slovenia extends border controls until December

LJUBLJANA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia will extend border controls with Croatia and Hungary until Dec. 21 due to ongoing security concerns, the government announced following its regular cabinet meeting on Thursday.

"The European Union (EU) is surrounded by instability and conflicts. The level of terrorist risk in the EU remains high," the government said in a statement.

Although Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary are members of the EU's Schengen area -- which normally allows passport-free travel -- Slovenia reinstated border checks in October 2023 after Italy introduced controls along its border with Slovenia, citing security risks. Since then, Ljubljana has renewed the measures every six months.

Austria, which began enforcing border checks with Slovenia in 2015 during the European migrant crisis, has continued to extend them regularly.

The latest extension comes despite a decline in unauthorized border crossings. Slovenian police recorded 5,781 illegal entries in the first four months of 2025, down from 13,573 during the same period last year. Enditem