Norway May Ban Begging Instead of Exiting Schengen

Norwegian police authorities do not believe that tighter border control would stop begging in the country, local media say.

"I do not know how border control can contribute to prevent begging," Norwegian National Police Directorate official Kristin Kvigne has told Klassekampen.

Kvinge's comment followed a statement made by Norwegian Center Party MP Jenny Klinge, who stated last week that her country had to leave the Schengen Agreement and substitute it with a Nordic border union.

"The majority of Roma who travel to Norway come from Romania and Bulgaria, which are not in the Schengen Agreement now," the police official has argued, adding that they are free to travel across Europe as citizens of EU.

Kvinge, as well as other officials, believe that a ban on begging will be an effective measure to tackle human trafficking and other criminal activities that accompany begging.