Ref. Ares(2019)6921356 - 08/11/2019
14 October 2018
Ministry of Justice
Commissioner for Migration,
Minister for Justice and Home Affairs
Home Affairs and Citizenship
Dimitris Avramopoulos
Dear Commissioner,
Due to the recently held parliamentary elections in Sweden the process of
forming a new government is currently ongoing. I would like to inform you
that the Swedish caretaker government is contemplating a decision on the
temporary reintroduction of border control at the Swedish internal borders.
The control would be carried out for six months as from 12 November
2018. Other measures at our disposal have, after detailed consideration, been
deemed insufficient.
Such a decision would be taken in accordance with article 25 of the
Regulation (EU) no 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the
Council on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons
across borders (Schengen Borders Code).
The scope of the border control may extend to all internal borders, be it
land, sea or air borders, whereby the specific border sections and border
crossing points would be determined by the Swedish Police Authority,
following a continuous risk analysis. However, the scope would be limited to
what is strictly necessary to respond to the threat to public policy and
internal security and constantly adapted to the relevant circumstances.
The serious threat to public policy and internal security in Sweden remains.
The Head of the Swedish Security Service has decided that the threat level in
Sweden remains at the current elevated level (level 3 out of 5) which is the
same level as on 7 April 2017 when Stockholm experienced a terrorist attack.
Shortcomings in the protection of the external borders persist and
contribute to this threat, as they enable potential terrorists and other
criminals to enter the Schengen territory unnoticed. As I foresee that this
situation will last beyond the near future, the temporary reintroduction of
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border control at the Swedish internal borders would be carried out for a
period of six months.
The reintroduction of border control at the internal border is truly a last
resort. The existing Swedish legislation does not allow for police checks on
persons in the border areas in line with the Commission’s Recommendation
from 12 May 2017 and instruments like these can never have the same effect
as border control at the internal border.
Let me assure you that I remain committed to the goal of returning to an
area without internal border controls and a well-functioning Schengen
cooperation.
Yours sincerely,
Morgan Johansson
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