Norway is imposing border controls with Western European countries after the domestic security service PST raised the terror threat level from “moderate” to “high”, in particular to Jewish and Israeli targets.
According to a statement from the police, the decision will remain effective until October 22, and not all travellers will be controlled. Therefore, no delays at border crossings are expected, Schengen.News reports.
Following the “challenging picture”, the PST announced that it would change the threat level to high, which is the second-highest level on a scale of one to five.
PST said there are several negative conditions that have raised the terror threat, among them things connected to the ongoing “escalation of the conflict” in the Middle East.
The agency mentioned several Jewish holidays in October, adding that several actors may see such markings as a symbol of terrorist acts.
The PST has said that the security services have assessed that one or more people have concrete and realistic plans and are taking concrete steps to carry out terrorist attacks and/or that several conditions increase the terrorist threat.
Several Schengen Countries Introduced Border Controls Over Terrorism-Related Concerns
Terrorism-related concerns have led several other countries to introduce or extend border controls in addition to Norway.
Other Schengen countries that have notified the European Union regarding the reintroduction and extension of border controls for the same reasons are Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia.
The reintroduction of border controls, according to the Schengen Borders Code (SBC), should be implemented as the last resort measure in exceptional situations.
The latest country to notify the EU for extending controls at the country’s borders is Denmark.
Citing terrorism-related events, Denmark’s border controls with Germany, which were set to remain effective until November 12, 2024, will be maintained until May 11, 2025.
In addition, authorities in Sweden announced that they had decided to extend controls at all internal borders, including the air and sea.
Source: https://schengen.news/norway-to-introduce-border-controls-but-not-all-travellers-will-be-checked/
