Migrant crisis: Swedish border checks introduced

Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said the step had been decided after police warned a surge in new arrivals posed a threat to public order.

The controls will come into effect from midday local time on Thursday and will last initially for 10 days.

EU and African leaders are to hold a second day of talks in Malta to discuss measures to stem the flow of migrants.

The two sides are due to sign an agreement to set up a €1.8bn (£1.3bn; $1.9bn) Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.

In return for establishing the fund, Europe expects African nations to stem the flow of migrants coming from Africa and to accelerate the repatriation of those who don't qualify for asylum.

On Wednesday, the first day of the EU-Africa summit, 14 migrants drowned in the latest boat sinking between Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos.

Seven of those who died were children. Coastguards said they had rescued 27 survivors.

Nearly 200,000 migrants are expected to reach Sweden this year, more per head of population than any other EU nation.

Mr Ygeman said the centre-left government had acted "in order to obtain security and stability... not to limit the number of asylum seekers, but to get better control of the flow of asylum seekers to Sweden".

 

(BBC)