Law enforcement in Europe

From Friday April 7, tighter checks at the EU passport-free Schengen Area's external borders will mean longer waits for those travelling from Croatia and Bosnia into the zone.

Bulgaria and Romania should become members of the Schengen Area as the countries have met the accession criteria and the delay is caused by political reasons, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said, reported Sputnik.

Passengers flying from Greek airports to countries outside the Schengen zone will pay the same airport levy as those flying within the bloc from next month, but the levy will also appear in the prices of tickets for children aged between 2 and 5 for the first time.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 17 the government is "experiencing a problematic process," and an uncomfortable environment trying to fulfill a visa deal with the EU. 

More than 10,000 assault rifles, 400 howitzer shells, grenades, and anti-aerial machine guns — likely intended for sale to terrorists and criminals — have been seized in a joint raid by Spanish police and Europol.

Spanish Police have released striking pictures of a huge weapons haul seized from an organised crime group.

It includes over 10,000 assault rifles, machine guns, pistols, revolvers, and 400 shells and grenades.

The guns and ammunition were seized in January during an operation against firearms trafficking.

The Council of the European Union adopted on Tuesday the proposal of the European Commission for a three-month extension of internal border control in five problematic countries in the Schengen area for free movement due to the continuing migrant crisis.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has said his country needs access to the Schengen information system to bolster border protection.

Visiting Berlin, Radev has told counterpart Joachim Gauck his country counts on Germany to support it on its way to joining the Schengen area without border control.

The European Parliament has approved the abolition of the visa regime for Georgian citizens.

According to the new legislation, adopted by Euro MPs on Thursday, Georgian citizens will be able to enter the Schengen area without a visa for a brief period of time.

The permanent representatives of EU member-states agreed to extend the emergency border control within the Schengen area by three months until the middle of May.

Immigration and security continue to dominate the political agenda, reported Reuters, cited by BTA.