Border security

Germany wants to extend border control in Schengen over terrorist threat – report

The German government wants to extend border control in the Schengen zone because it has had a tip-off about potential terrorists entering the country disguised as refugees, Germany's Der Spiegel magazine said.

The report is based on the minutes of an EU ambassadors’ internal meeting in Brussels obtained by the outlet. In particular, the document mentions a "filter function of the external borders," which it says is not working.

The EU rules generally allow free movement in the Schengen area. However, in the wake of the refugee crisis, some member states re-introduced border checks, asking for travelers’ passports and searching some of the vehicles which have been passing through.

Previously, the German Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maiziere, declared that the controls would only be “temporary,” but the checks have already been extended a few times in the country, with the latest running until mid-February 2017.