Austria Extends Border Controls with Slovakia and Three Neighboring Countries

Austria will extend border controls with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia for an additional three months starting Monday. The move comes despite a recommendation from the European Commission in early June that Austria and eight other Schengen area countries should end controls at internal EU borders. The Schengen Agreement normally allows passport-free travel between member states, but countries can temporarily reintroduce border checks in exceptional circumstances such as security threats or migration pressures.