Italy and Austria attempt to calm tensions over border controls

Italy and Austria have tried to calm tensions over controversial Austrian plans to introduce border controls at the Brenner Pass in the Alps between the two countries to keep migrants from coming from Italy.

“There will be no wall,” Austrian interior minister Wolfgang Sobotka said after meeting his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano on Thursday (29 April).

But he added: “If and only if it is necessary will we introduce more controls by slowing traffic and trains ... but circulation will be guaranteed.”

Sobotka said however that preparations for the planned fence would continue, it would be used only to “channel” people and was not a barrier.

Sobotka also said as many as 1 million migrants in Libya were poised to cross the sea to Europe this year.

For his part, Alfano said they have so far averted a crisis and the closure of the Brenner Pass. “We have to work on it,” he told press on how likely it was that the pass would be kept open.

Alfano also disputed the numbers mentioned by Sobotka, pointing out that “the numbers do not support” fears of a mass movement of migrants and refugees across the Brenner Pass. He said erecting a barrier would be a waste of money.

So far this year 27,300 people arrived to Italy by sea, according to the latest UN figures.

This year, 2,722 migrants have arrived in Italy from Austria, Alfano said

The Brenner Pass, which is the busiest route through the Alps for heavy goods vehicles, and closing it would slow traffic on this important route from Italy to Germany, Italy's top trading partner.

Austria’s grand coalition government is under increasing pressure from the surging popularity of the far-right Freedom Party, whose candidate clinched the first place at last weekend’s first round of the presidential election.

While initially it followed Germany’s open-door policy, and criticizing Hungary for building a fence last year, in a complete policy reversal the Austrian parliament on Wednesday passed the toughest asylum laws in Europe.

Austria has received more than 90,000 asylum seekers last year, the second largest group per capita.

Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi i has earlier warned that closing the pass would be a “flagrant breach of European rules”.

Renzi has urged the EU i commission to step up to Austria, and defend Europe’s passport free zone, Schengen.

Renzi on Thursday described the plan to close the border as being “utterly removed from reality”.

The Italian premier will meet EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker i next Thursday.

The EU’s executive has so far said, it had “grave concerns about anything that can compromise our 'back to Schengen' roadmap”.

The commission is studying the planned Austrian measures at Brenner and other checks expected to start next week at its border with Hungary.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon i in a speech to the parliament in Vienna on Thursday said “he alarmed by the growing xenophobia here" and elsewhere in Europe.

A day after Austria’s parliament curbed asylum rights, the UN secretary general told Austria lawmakers: “I am concerned that European countries are now adopting increasingly restrictive immigration and refugee policies. Such policies negatively affect the obligation of member states under international humanitarian law and European law.”