Latvian border guards to step up controls on Schengen borders

Starting Friday, Latvian border guards will step up checks of all EU citizens crossing the Schengen area's external borders, representatives of the Latvian State Border Guard said on Thursday.

In Latvia's case, this means border with Russia and Belarus, as well as air and sea borders.

Controls will be reinforced at crossing points, so guards will carry out systematic checks against relevant databases on all persons entering and leaving Latvia, including citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, as well as on transport vehicles.

Increased border controls will also be carried out at the ports of Riga, Ventspils, Liepaja and Riga international airport.

Normunds Garbars, chief of the Latvian State Border Guard, said: "While previously a Latvian citizen returning to Riga from Moscow only had to present the passport to the border guard, now the border guard will be required to go through all the routine procedures and check passports against the database."

Until now, increased checks on Latvia's borders only applied to foreigners that are not citizens of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. But as of Friday, all persons will be subjected to the increase controls to check their data against the Schengen information system and Interpol's database and the Latvian national information system.

Controls on the Schengen area's external borders are being stepped up in line with a regulation amending the Schengen borders code, which the European Parliament passed in March this year.

The amendments are intended to improve security in the Schengen Area and identify persons who might pose threats to public order and internal security. Endit