Slovenia sets up police checkpoints along border with Croatia 

ZAGREB, 27 September 2023 – Due to illegal migrations, Slovenia is tightening control on its border with Croatia. 

Slovenian police will set up checkpoints on their territory in close proximity to border crossings with Croatia. 

The Schengen regime remains in effect, and vehicles can still cross former border crossings without any checks. However, there will be police checkpoints on Slovenian territory where the police will stop and inspect certain vehicles.

The police are expected to establish control points immediately after border crossings, where they can safely stop vehicles. These checkpoints will be located in the area of the Police Directorate of Novo Mesto near the railway viaduct in Rigonce, Trnovac near Metlika, Obrežje near Kalina, and in the area of the Police Directorate of Koper in Rakitovec, Podgorje, and Sočerg, according to information from the Slovenian portal 24ur, Index.hr writes.

Slovenians have reported that since Croatia joined the Schengen Area, the number of migrants illegally arriving in Slovenia through the Western Balkans route has significantly increased. From the beginning of the year to the end of August, the local police processed 36,137 illegal border crossings between Slovenia and Croatia, compared to 13,601 illegal crossings last year.

More details were provided during a press conference by the Minister of the Interior of Slovenia, Boštjan Poklukar. He stated that the number of illegal border crossings this year has exceeded 40,000 index.hr reported.

“The number of illegal border crossings between Slovenia and Croatia has exceeded 40,000 today, and the police are acting in accordance with their operational plans. Therefore, they have increased their work in some of the most critical areas of the border with Croatia. Currently, this concerns the areas of the Police Directorate of Novo Mesto and Koper, where data and analysis show the highest burden,” said Slovenian Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar.

Poklukar emphasized that this is not about establishing internal border control but about enhanced compensatory measures in the border areas with Croatia. He added, “The activities of police officers will continue to be focused on detecting smugglers and cross-border crime.”

Croatian Minister of the Interior, Davor Božinović, said: “Slovenia’s introduction of police checkpoints along the border with Croatia does not mean the abolishment of the Schengen area but rather increased monitoring due to smuggler activities.”

Božinović stated that despite the checks, cross-border traffic still operates under the Schengen regime without stopping. He added that Croatia is implementing similar measures through compensatory measures introduced after the removal of border crossings, which involve random vehicle checks in traffic.