Travellers who plan to cross the border from Slovenia to Austria have been warned of long waiting times now that everyone is returning home before the school holidays end.
As it has been revealed, the current waiting times to cross the Slovenia-Austria border go up to two and a half hours, Schengen.News reports.
Traffic experts have said that traffic jams have been recorded in the majority of crossing points, calling on travellers for patience and vigilance.
These long waiting times are mainly due to the large number of people returning from holidays. However, as soon as school starts, traffic is expected to be quieter, and there will no longer be long waiting times at the border.
The waiting times are also due to the border controls that Austria continues to keep in place with Slovenia.
While the Schengen Area represents the largest borderless zone in the world and permits unrestricted movement from one member state to another, when needed, the member countries have the right to impose restrictions and check people entering their territory.
Austria Extended Border Controls With Slovenia Until November
In an attempt to prevent irregular migration and human trafficking, earlier in April of this year, Austria decided to extend the border controls with Slovenia for another six months until November 2024.
Announcing the extension of the measure, the Minister of Interior of Austria, Gerhard Karner, said back then that the border controls have proven to be effective. The same noted that due to the pressure, human traffickers are already avoiding Austria.
While Austria sees border controls as necessary, Slovenian authorities do not share the same opinion.
Slovenia opposed the last extension of the border measure by Austria, with the authorities saying that the controls, which have been in place for a long period of time, are not in line with the EU law.
At the same time, Slovenia has asked Austria to lift the border controls as they are causing delays for everyone, including EU nationals.
Nonetheless, Austria has not responded to this call and instead continues to keep internal border checks in place.
Austria currently also has border controls in place with Czechia and Slovakia. The Austrian government has decided to keep border controls with Czechia and Slovakia in place until October 15, 2024.
The reason behind this measure is to halt irregular migration, smuggling activities, and organised crime, among others.