Czech and Austrian ministers call for stronger EU border protection

Czech Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar (ANO) and his Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner have called for stronger protection of both the EU’s external borders and their countries’ shared border. Meeting at the Czech-Austrian police cooperation centre near Mikulov on Friday, the ministers discussed illegal migration, people smuggling and EU migration policy. They also praised the centre, which has facilitated cross-border police cooperation since 2006. Austria introduced controls on its border with Czechia in 2023 and extended them again in June, while shifting towards more flexible checks aimed primarily at smugglers and criminals.