Norway extends internal Schengen border controls by three months

The Norwegian government said on Friday it would extend its internal Schengen border controls by three months until Feb. 11 next year after the Council of the European Union gave the green light.

Norway will maintain its border controls in ports with ferry arrivals from Sweden, Denmark and Germany, the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security said in a statement.

"Although the number of arriving asylum seekers has been low throughout the year, there is still much uncertainty about the number of people who want to stay in Norway," State Secretary for the Minister of Justice and Public Security Ove Vanebo was quoted as saying.

"Therefore it is important for the government to maintain the temporary border controls," he added.

The move came after the Council of European Union adopted a decision earlier Friday allowing five Schengen states -- Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway -- to carry out internal border controls for another three months, despite that the influx of migrants has fallen dramatically.

According to the council, border controls in the five states should be strictly targeted and limited in scope, frequency, location and time.

The five Schengen states not only should review the border controls each week, assessing whether the measures are still necessary, but also should report to the European Commission every month. Endit