Austria, Germany: Schengen Border Checks Must Continue After November 15

Border checks in Schengen must continue after the deadline in the middle of November, stated the Austrian and German Interior Ministers, cited by Reuters.

Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Austria introduced extraordinary checks, despite the fact that they are Schengen members, due to the flood of migrants last year.

"We have to see the reality. There are 50,000 refugees in Greece; there are many refugees in the Balkan countries as well. It is difficult for me to imagine that the system will be functioning by November 15. I think that we will need an extension of the deadline or we must consider other measures," stated Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka.

According to European rules, Schengen member-states have the right to introduce border controls for up to two years at periods of six months at a time.

According to Brussels, the abolition of Schengen will cause economic damages of between EUR 5 M and EUR 18 M.