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EU Members Welcomed Migrants Initially, Now Closing Borders – Slovak PM

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Member states of the European Union that initially greeted refugees fleeing war-torn countries now hurry to close their borders despite the Schengen Agreement... 18.01.2016, Sputnik International

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EU Members Welcomed Migrants Initially, Now Closing Borders – Slovak PM

20:42 GMT 18.01.2016 (Updated: 11:51 GMT 09.02.2023)

Slovak police control border crossers at a checkpoint of the Slovakian-Hungarian border near Rajka (Hungary) and Cunovo (Slovakia) on September 14, 2015 - Sputnik International

Member states of the European Union that initially greeted refugees fleeing war-torn countries now hurry to close their borders despite the Schengen Agreement, the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday.

PRAGUE, (Sputnik) — "It is those countries that have most openly welcomed migrants today make decisions against the Schengen," Fico said during a briefing, as quoted by the Bratislava Aktualne news portal.

Refugees walk to a chartered train at the railway station of Passau, Germany Tuesday Jan. 5, 2016 - Sputnik International

Scores of Kurdish Migrants Return Home After Disappointment in Europe

18 January 2016, 02:43 GMT

The Slovak prime minister added that the ongoing massive refugee crisis in the bloc would be the main topic on the agenda during Slovakia’s EU presidency, which starts on July 1.

On Saturday, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann announced that Vienna was temporarily suspending the Schengen Agreement and toughening border checks.

So far, seven EU states applied border controls along the internal borders of the Schengen Area to curb the influx of undocumented immigrants — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, France and Malta.

Austrian police officer check the identification documents of migrants before allowing them to get out a bus from Slovenia to cross the border from Slovenia into Austria, at a checkpoint at the Karawanks tunnel near Villach, Austria, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. - Sputnik International

Austria Suspends Schengen, Imposes Border Control Amid Refugee Crisis

16 January 2016, 18:44 GMT

The Schengen Agreement abolishes internal borders, enabling passport-free movement between parties to the treaty. The agreement provides for the temporary closure of internal borders in the event of a threat to national security.

The European states are still striving to find an optimal solution to the major refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.