MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Sweden's government decided to prolong the temporary controls on the borders introduced due to the influx of refugees into the country for additional three months, until February 11, 2017, Minister for Home Affairs Anders Ygeman said Friday.
"The government has made a decision today to extend border control for three more months," Ygeman said on his Twitter.
In 2015, Sweden received about 163,000 asylum seekers. In 2016, the number dropped to about 30,000 requests for asylum.
Europe has had to deal with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants from the Middle East and North Africa fleeing their home countries to escape violence and poverty. Many migrants have arrived by sea to the shores of maritime states and try to move further to wealthier European countries, such as Germany and Sweden.
