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Roundup: Austria's plan to close Brenner Pass "flagrantly violates EU rules": Italy's PM

Xinhua, April 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Wednesday blasted Austria's announced plan to toughen migrant border checks and eventually build a fence at the Alpine Brenner Pass.

"The idea of closing the Brenner Pass would be flagrantly against the European rules, as well as against history, logic, and future," Renzi wrote in his official newsletter.

Austria recently announced the Brenner Passing at the border with Italy would be reinforced to avoid refugees and migrants making their way to central and northern Europe.

Tougher controls would be implemented starting from June 1 at latest, and Vienna added a fence would be erected "if Italy does not introduce measures to control people at the border."

The Brenner Crossing is a crucial mounting pass that divides Italy and Austria, and tension between the two countries has run high since these announcements were made.

Italy has already complained with the European Union (EU) the plan would breach European rules on the free circulation of people within the Schengen area.

On Wednesday, Renzi stressed recent alarming statements on a new major flow of migrants and refugees from Italy towards northern Europe must be revised. "The arrivals to Italy in the first quarter of 2016 are even with those of Q1 2015, and fewer than those registered in the same period of 2014," he said.

"This situation still requires a challenging effort from Italy: yet, it also confirms the idea of shutting the Brenner Pass would be a flagrant violation of European rules," Renzi said.

Some 26,270 migrants and refugees reached Italy up to April 24, according to data from United Nation Refugee Agency UNHCR. Some 26,220 arrivals were registered in Q1 2015, and some 26,640 in Q1 2014, respectively.

Austria on Wednesday confirmed a 370-meter border fence might be built at the Brenner depending on "Italy's willingness to cooperate," Italian Ansa news agency cited Austrian police head for Tyrol province Helmut Tomac as reporting.

Vienna would also ask Italy to allow Austrian police on board of its trains in order to check on people's identity documents before the convoys would pass the Brenner cross, Ansa said.

Other Italian authorities voiced their worries about Austria's recent steps on the migration crisis on Wednesday. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni warned Vienna not to take unilateral moves. "We are very far from an invasion," Gentiloni told Austrian daily Die Presse in an interview later released by the Italian Foreign Ministry.

"We hope Vienna would not take unilateral decisions in the next months, and will keep working closely with us on the refugee crisis," he said.

"The EU has rules, and these rules must be respected. The closure of internal borders within the Schengen area is not a decision that single member States are allowed to take alone," he added.

The possible closure of the Brenner Pass border "would not be the right way, since it is a divisive solution," Lower House's president Laura Boldrini was also quoted by Ansa as saying. "It would mean for the EU to surrender and raise a white flag, and I do hope Austrian authorities will reconsider their decision," she added. Enditem