Switzerland has no plans for strict controls on Italy border
Switzerland currently does not want to introduce strict controls on the border with Italy, said Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider on Thursday on the sidelines of the EU Interior Ministers meeting in Luxembourg.
In response to the high number of refugees and migrants, Germany announced on Monday that it would introduce border controls with Switzerland.
+ Migration is a key issue on the minds of Swiss voters
Baume-Schneider, who heads the justice department, indicated that she understood the decision by Germany after a fatal accident that took place recently. She was alluding to an incident in south-eastern Germany, where a suspected smuggling vehicle crashed while fleeing the police last week. Seven people were killed.
Switzerland does not want to introduce strict border controls with Italy. It has already increased the number of personnel in the border guard corps. More selective controls are currently sufficient, said the government minister.
Many Swiss regions on the border such as cantons Ticino and Basel have close economic ties to neighbours.
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