Slovakia Approves Sending Police Reinforcements to Guard Hungary's Border

The Slovak government voted on Wednesday to send 50 police officers to help neighbouring Hungary control the number of immigrants crossing their state border and the southern border of the European Union, reports the Patria news agency.

Slovakia and other Central European states, whose territory has been entered by tens of thousands of migrants from Syria and Afghanistan, said the union must strengthen external borders as part of any joint response.

EU member states have struggled to adopt a common strategy on the migrant crisis. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic oppose the plan for mandatory state quotas that would distribute the burden of 120,000 asylum seekers among the 28 members, which was adopted last month.

*If the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary join forces, it will be a significant contribution to the protection of the Schengen borders between Hungary and Serbia, said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The external borders of the European Union mark the beginning of the passport-free zone of free movement of people. Slovak police would work on the Hungarian border with Serbia for one month, according to documents published on the government's website.

The Czech government has also agreed to send soldiers and police to the EU's external border, writes Index.