The contentious id checks will remain – financial times

Politics. Despite the protests, and fewer refugees will be id checks on the bus, train and ferries left in for at least three months.

– We need to take into account the order and security in our country, says prime minister Stefan Löfven (S).

the Decision to extend the id checks was taken at an extraordinary cabinet meeting just a couple of days before they would expire. The controls introduced in January when thousands of refugees came to Sweden each week. Since then, the number of asylum seekers decreased drastically, but the government considers that the controls are needed.

– We are still seeing uncertainty, ” says Stefan Löfven at a press conference in Copenhagen, and adds that it is important for the whole country.

press

Without the id checks at risk of Sweden to once again have a “large influx” of refugees, according to the minister for infrastructure Anna Johansson (S). The pressure on the Swedish migration board is continued, ” said she:

– We are of the opinion that this is actually needed to meet the commitments we have to receive people who come to Sweden.

Danish prime minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen has understanding of Sweden’s decision. But he and Stefan Löfven has had conversations on how to make the controls less difficult for the commuters and the labour market in the Öresund region.

For the controls irritating Öresundsresenärerna. Around 15 000 people commute every day, of which 9 000 by train. Now take trips longer period of time, traffic is flowing for the worse and it is harder to plan life.

given up

– After the summer we see that the commuters who have had the opportunity have found other ways to go or actually chosen not to work in Denmark. And those who have no alternative are forced to continue to go through this every day, ” says Linus Eriksson, trafikdirektör at Skånetrafiken.

for Trips with Skånetrafiken has decreased by about 15% since the id checks were introduced, when you should be seeing an increase of 5 percent, according to Eriksson.

He would like to have seen that the government had found a different solution, for example, that Denmark and Sweden had been able to agree on a checkpoint instead of the current two.

– We know that it is difficult for the very many commuters, to get longer travel times, it’s harder to stay on one side and work on the other, ” says Anna Johansson.

Last time?

the Government is therefore looking at measures to make it easier for the passengers, but the minister does not want to say exactly what. She is, however, clear that it is not only possible to merge the id and border control, because there are two different laws and id checks are carried out on the Danish side of the carriers and the border on the Swedish side of the Swedish police.

the green Party in Malmö belongs to the many critics of the red-green regeringsbeslutet.

“We assume that this is the last time the government extends the id-checks, every day that goes by where Malmöbornas arbetsmarknadsregion is two-fold means lost investment, jobs and prospects for the future”, writes the Pain Stenevi, group leader for the MP in Malmö, sweden.

Soon, the government must also make decisions about border controls should be extended or not. They expire on 12 november and Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Norway had in the last week the green light from the EUROPEAN commission to extend them for three months if necessary.

the FACTS

cross – Border and id checks

Id checks, introduced on January 4 of this year and takes place on the Danish side. There are train, bus and färjetransportörerna responsible for checks, which now has been extended for a further three months to 4 February 2017.

internal temporary border controls were introduced last autumn, as a result of the fact that many asylum seekers came to Sweden. They are valid until the 11th of november.

last week gave the EUROPEAN commission the go-ahead to be able to extend them for three months, but the government has not yet taken any formal decision on this. Border controls are today at the Oresund bridge and the ports of Trelleborg, Malmö, Helsingborg and Gothenburg.

TT