Slovenia and Italy will resume joint border patrols at their common border and carry out checks on buses, trains and cars travelling from Slovenia to Italy to respond to the spike in illegal migration flows, Slovenian police said on Wednesday.
Joint border patrols will be carried out in the areas and at times where illegal crossings of state borders are most frequent, the police added.
Currently, patrol teams consist of one Italian and two Slovenian police officers, and are conducted on the Slovenian side of the border.
The decision comes after Italy announced it will step up surveillance of the Friuli Venezia Giulia border area due to the rise in illegal border crossings from Slovenia to Italy.
Data from the Italian police carried by the Austrian press agency APA shows illegal crossings of the border have increased by 57% year-on-year.
The joint border controls are carried out as part of the cross-border cooperation agreement and its implementing protocol.
(Martina Smodiš | sta.si)
Source: euractiv.com
