Scandinavian Border Controls Slow Migrant Flow into Denmark and Sweden

Summary: As of Monday, Jan. 4, swiftly introduced Scandinavian border controls slow migrant flow along Denmark's southern border and between Denmark and Sweden.

Öresund Strait and its bridge, which connects Copenhagen, Denmark, with Malmö, Sweden, has become a familiar symbol for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in 2015: Norwegian oceanic and coastal fishing vessel Roaldsen approaches Öresund Bridge near Malmö, Sweden: Hajotthu, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Borderless travel into Scandinavia is less of a reality in 2016 with the swift introduction of such Scandinavian border controls as along Denmark’s southern border with Germany and between Denmark and Sweden on Monday, Jan. 4.

Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Union’s asylum and migration minister, has scheduled an emergency meeting concerning the newly implemented Scandinavian border controls for Wednesday, Jan. 6, in Brussels, Belgium, with Swedish migration minister Morgan Johansson, German interior ministry official Ole Schroder and Danish immigration minister Inger Støjberg.

On Jan. 5, the day before the momentous meeting, European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas describes its significance: “The goal of this meeting is to improve coordination between the concerned countries in order to ensure better management of the migratory pressure.”

Both Denmark and Sweden are adhering to Schengen Borders Code for reintroducing temporary border controls. The Schengen Area consists of 26 European countries that allow free movement to more than 400 million European Union citizens across their common borders, known as internal borders. The Schengen Borders Code allows for temporary reintroduction of border controls in the Schengen Area within the context either of “events requiring immediate action” or of “foreseeable events.”

Both countries base temporary Scandinavian border controls on immediate action requirements. Immediate action border controls may be put in place for ten days without prior notification to the European Commission, but notification must be given immediately upon making such decisions. The initial ten-day reintroduction may be extended in increments of twenty days, with a cap of two months.

Denmark’s notification of temporary Scandinavian border controls to the European Commission identifies “all borders with particular focus on the sea and land borders with Germany.” Sweden’s notification applies to “all borders  but with special focus on Southern and Western harbors and Öresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden.”

Denmark’s temporary border controls currently are in effect from Jan. 4 to 14. The Danish controls are quickly implemented on the same day, Jan. 4, that Sweden’s previously announced border controls take effect. Sweden initially is allowing for three years of temporary Scandinavian border controls.

On Jan. 4, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen announces the installation of border checks, effective at 12 noon, and explains the reason for the swift measure: “This is a reaction to a decision made in Sweden. The new Swedish requirements entail a serious risk that a large number of illegal immigrants will be stranded in Copenhagen.”

On Denmark’s first day of temporary controls at the German border, where crossings occur at 15 different locations, around 1,100 arrivals are checked. Only 18 are denied entry into Denmark. Three other individuals are arrested as smugglers.

“The first 24 hours were nice and calm. There were naturally some inconveniences for travelers both at the Danish-German border as a result of the temporary border controls and at the Danish-Swedish border as a result of the transport companies’ ID controls,” reports Danish National Police (Rigspolitiet) Inspector Richard Østerland la Cour in a press release. “The efforts were carried out without significant traffic or infrastructure problems.”

On Sweden’s first day of imposed systematic identification checks on arrivals by boat, car or ferry from Denmark, police register only 48 arrivals in Skåne, Sweden’s southernmost province. Apart from New Year’s Day, arrivals had reached at least 200 each day since Dec. 29.

“One can say that it’s a sharp drop. But it’s only been one day, and we can’t exclude that refugees will find other ways of entering Sweden,” police spokeswoman Ewa-Gun Westford notes on Jan. 5.

The Swedish Coast Guard (Kustbevakningen) is on the alert for attempts at clandestine crossings of the Öresund Strait that narrowly separates Denmark’s Zealand Island from Sweden’s southernmost province, Skåne.

Swedish Coast Guard spokesperson Mattias Lindholm tells Scandinavia’s largest news agency, Stockholm-based Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå (TT): “We have to be prepared for the fact that people may seek other routes than the bridge or ferries, regardless of whether it is a Danish network behind this or individual initiatives.”

In 2015, Sweden, with a population of 9.8 million, received almost 163,000 asylum requests. The total includes 26,000 unaccompanied minors. The Nordic nation welcomed 115,000 asylum seekers, more than 70 percent of total requests, in the year’s last four months.

In 2015, Denmark, with a population of 5.6 million, accepted 18,000 asylum seekers.

Denmark's and Sweden's border controls took effect Monday, Jan. 4, 2016: The Local Sweden @TheLocalSweden via Twitter Jan. 5, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Öresund Bridge: Hajotthu, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%96resundbr%C3%BCcke_nach_Malm%C3%B6.JPG

Denmark's and Sweden's border controls took effect Monday, Jan. 4, 2016: The Local Sweden @TheLocalSweden via Twitter Jan. 5, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/TheLocalSweden/status/684384163710001152

For further information:

Bilefsky, Dan. "Sweden and Denmark Add Border Checks to Stem Flow of Migrants." The New York Times > Europe. Jan. 4, 2016.
Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/05/world/europe/sweden-denmark-border-check-migrants.html?_r=0

"Denmark's first day of border checks 'calm." The Local DK > border checks: Denmark's news in English. Jan. 5, 2016.
Available @ http://www.thelocal.dk/20160105/minimal-stops-on-denmarks-first-day-of-border-checks

Hofverberg, Elin. "Sweden: Government Moves to Adopt More Restrictive Rules for Asylum Seekers." The Library of Congress > Law Library > News & Events > Global Legal Monitor. Nov. 30, 2015.
Available @ http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/sweden-government-moves-to-adopt-more-restrictive-rules-for-asylum-seekers/

The Local Sweden @TheLocalSweden. "Sweden sees fall in migrants after new border checks start." Twitter. Jan. 5, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/TheLocalSweden/status/684384163710001152

Marriner, Derdriu. "After Paris Attacks Italy and Sweden Have High Alerts to Track Threats." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/11/after-paris-attacks-italy-and-sweden.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Säpo Clears Suspect Arrested at North Sweden Refugee Center." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/11/sapo-clears-suspect-arrested-at-north.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Säpo Ups Sweden Terror Threat to First-Ever High at 4 on 5-Level Scale." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 23, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/11/sapo-ups-sweden-terror-threat-to-first.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Stefan Lofven: Sweden Is Drastically Reducing Refugee Intakes." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/11/stefan-lofven-sweden-is-drastically.html

"Nordic border checks spark special EU meeting." The Local DK > border checks: Denmark's news in English. Jan. 5, 2016.
Available @ http://www.thelocal.dk/20160105/new-nordic-border-checks-spark-special-eu-meeting

RT: "Sweden starts ID checks at border w/ Denmark to curb migrant flow." YouTube. Jan. 6, 2016.
Available @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EmIu4_W17I

"Sweden on Thursday extended temporary border controls with other Schengen countries until December 11, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said." Sputnik News > Nov. 19, 2015.
Available @ http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151119/1030409799/refugees-sweden-border-schengen.html

"Sweden sees sharp new year drop in migrants." The Local SE > border checks: Sweden's news in English. Jan. 5, 2016.
Available @ http://www.thelocal.se/20160105/sweden-sees-sharp-new-year-drop-in-migrants

"Temporary Reintroduction of Border Control." European Commission > DGs > Migration and Home Affairs > Schengen Area.
Available @ http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/schengen/reintroduction-border-control/index_en.htm