Norway extends border controls for 30 days

The Norwegian government said on Friday it would extend its border controls for an additional 30 days to prevent people without the required travel documents from entering the country in order to ensure "internal security."

After Norway introduced border checks in November on all ferry arrivals from Denmark, Sweden and Germany, the number of asylum seekers dropped significantly and "there is still a need to have controls on the borders to ensure internal security and public order," the government said in a statement.

"The control initiative has had a good preventive effect and there is reason to believe that many people will not attempt to travel to Norway because there are controls on the internal (Schengen) borders," Minister of Justice and Public Security Anders Anundsen was quoted as saying.

Norway introduced temporary border checks on November 26 after neighboring Sweden announced it would implement measures to reduce the influx of refugees, including border controls and stricter residence and family reunification measures.

The border checks were originally to last 10 days but were extended in December. The latest extension will keep the controls in place until February 14. Enditem