Border checks inside the Schengen Area must be exceptions, they must be with time restrictions and must be used only as a last resort, the European Commission's spokeswoman, Anitta Hipper, said in Brussels on Tuesday.

Our position is clear: border checks inside the Schengen Area must remain an exception. They must have strict time for their application and must be used as a last resort, the spokeswoman responded to the press after she was asked about Austria’s plans to prolong checks at its border with Slovenia and Hungary for another six months. Vienna explains it as part of its efforts to combat illegal migrations.

The spokeswoman said that the European Commission had not yet received any such notification from Austria.

Last April the Court of the EU ruled that Austria had been violating the Schengen acquis. Despite this ruling, Austria intends to keep checks along its border.

Austria first introduced those border controls with Slovenia and Hungary in 2015 at the peak of the migrant crisis at the time. Since then, it has kept extending this restriction every six months.

The Schengen provisions abolish checks at EU’s internal borders, while providing a single set of rules for controls at the external borders applicable to those who enter the Schengen Area for a short period of time (up to 90 days).

Today, the Schengen Area encompasses most EU countries, except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania.