Strict border controls with Slovakia?

The Czech Republic together with the other new EU member states should cross the borders with the old EU member states without passport controls from 31st December 2007. Slovakia has the biggest problems to fulfil the criteria needed for implementing the Schengen Agreement now.

In case the Slovak Republic does not manage to fulfil the criteria in time, the Czech Republic is prepared to create strict border controls on the Czech-Slovak border. The biggest problem for Slovak is the border with Ukraine and the airport without corridors for EU citizens.

Other states that are prepared to create strict border controls are Poland and Hungary. According to Jan Kohout, the Czech representative to the EU, the cost of having strict border controls with the Slovak Republic would be much lower then keeping border controls with the old EU member states.