Norway imposes border controls amid influx of refugees

The Norwegian government on Thursday introduced temporary border controls to prevent people without the required travel documents from entering the country amid an increasing influx of refugees.

"This is a measure to gain better control of the influx of refugees," Norway's Minister of Justice and Public Security Anders Anundsen said in a statement. "We are imposing temporary border controls for the ferry routes between Norway and the European continent."

"Territorial control in frontier areas will also be further tightened. The purpose is to better be able to prevent the entry of people who do not have the required travel documents to enter Norway," he said.

Requirements will be introduced for the shipping companies to check documents when ferries are boarded and people who do not have valid travel documents for Norway may be refused entry at ferry terminals on the European continent.

There will be increased control of Norway's borders with Sweden and additional measures to tighten border controls on land are being continuously assessed, Anundsen said.

"Norway is pursuing a strict and fair asylum policy. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security will continuously assess whether there is a need to expand the control to include border crossings for air traffic and at national frontiers, and whether the period of border control should be extended," he said.

Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Tuesday her country would step up its border controls on Thursday after neighboring Sweden introduced stricter controls and immigration measures.

"What we will achieve is that people who do not have access to the country can be stopped quickly. And any person who has applied for asylum in another country first can be sent back directly to that country," Solberg told public broadcaster NRK.

"When Sweden tightens more, we are afraid that more people would come to Norway," she added.

Norway's measures came after the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofvenon said Tuesday that his country was no longer capable of receiving asylum seekers at the high level as before and would implement measures to reduce the influx of refugees, including border controls and stricter residence and family reunification measures. Enditem