Berlin, 15 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Germany's fixed checks at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, which were first ordered in mid-October, are to be continued until at least March 15.

The German Interior Ministry announced on Friday that the checks would be continued in order to more effectively combat smuggling and limit irregular migration. The ministry has notified the European Commission, it said.

"Our measures are working," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

Thanks to the temporary border checks and measures closely coordinated with neighbouring countries, the number of unauthorized entries across Germany had fallen by more than 60% from over 20,000 in October to around 7,300 in November.

Faeser has extended border checks several times for shorter periods of time since their introduction on October 16.

The fixed internal border controls at the German-Austrian border, which began in the autumn of 2015, will now run until May 11.

Border checks are not usual within the Schengen visa-free travel area and must be reported to Brussels.

If it is only a few days, this can be done with a short notice period. But anything longer than two months, as is the case with this German extension on Friday, requires a Brussels notification.

Photo: MIA archive