Norway warns: If number of refugees rises, we will introduce border controls

Norway is ready to introduce border controls in the event of a sharp increase in the number of people seeking asylum, said Minister of Justice and Public Security Anders Anundsen on Friday, reports the Patria news agency.

"We are considering various measures. Increased border control is one of them," Anundsen replied when asked whether the government is trying to limit the influx of asylum seekers.

"It depends on the number of people. If that number increases significantly or we assess that we do not have sufficient control at entry points into our country, then we will have to introduce border control. That is something we are constantly considering," he said.

Tens of thousands of migrants from Syria and other countries are traveling towards northern Europe in the hope of obtaining asylum, ultimately in neighboring Sweden, which has one of the most open immigration policies.

Norway is not a member of the European Union, but it is a member of the Schengen zone of free movement of people and expected a total of 11,000 asylum applications in 2015, but earlier this week announced that the number could be between 16,000 and 20,000 or even higher.

Minister Anundsen, a member of the populist anti-immigration Progress Party, expressed regret that Denmark and Sweden do not register people traveling through Europe, writes Index.