Austria has stepped up border controls in Germany and Italy

Austria began the night of Monday with temporary immigration checks at major border crossings, which should last until Friday.

Since midnight, travelers are among others at the German-Austrian Kiefersfelden / Kufstein interchange and at the entrance to Italy after Brenner inspected

There, the police must slow down to 30, according to the police for visual inspections. In order to avoid traffic jams as much as possible, two lanes must remain open. Nevertheless, drivers of cars and trucks must expect considerable obstacles.

In addition to the Brenner border checks concern the transitions from Germany to the Austrian province of Tyrol. The entrance and exit, for example, via Salzburg and Pbadau are possible without control.

"We are looking for potential disrupters"

This measure is justified as a security measure due to a two-day conference of Interior Ministers of the United States. EU in Innsbruck. The department heads meet there on July 12th and 13th. Border controls were not related to the debate on immigration, it was pointed out.

"We are looking for potential disrupters, not especially for migrants," a police spokesman said Sunday. Other checks are already planned – for five days around the EU heads of state and government gathered in Salzburg on 20 September.

Authorities are also set up to set up technical barriers on the popular Brenner Alpine Pbadage. There is therefore a fence 400 meters long that could be built if necessary.

The movement is taking place in a politically explosive situation. On the issue of migration, border controls are regularly discussed by Austria and, more recently, by Germany. In the foreseeable future, if the German authorities prolonged the refusals at the border with Austria, the Alpine Republic threatened to take action at its southern border, especially on the Brenner.

In the coming weeks, Germany and Austria, as well as Italy, wish to discuss measures to be taken to close the central Mediterranean route to refugees crossing the border. Italy to go to Germany. The number of irregular migrants seized in Austria has decreased considerably.