Austria considers border patrols post Schengen

Photo: European Commission

The European Union's eastern border controls are moving further east. By the end of the year what's known as the Schengen Zone - the area in which you can enjoy passport free travel - will expand to include Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. Austria has borders with four of those countries and under Schengen rules can end its eastern border patrols once its neighbours join Schengen, as it has done with other neighbours, Germany and Italy for instance. But Vienna is suggesting army recruits will still be deployed along the eastern border.

Photo: European Commission
So is Austria showing a troubling lack of trust towards its neighbours? Joanna King of Austrian Radio put the question to Betanna Bapuly, from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, an expert on EU law.