Austria far-right minister warns controls could be launched at German border

Austria could start checking traffic to Germany as part of stepped-up border controls in the second half of this year, according to its far-right interior minister. Vienna will be holding the rotating presidency of the European Union. Austria, Germany and some other European countries suspended the Schengen system of open-border, passport-free travel in 2015 after over 1 million refugees and migrants flooded into Europe. Last week, Germany said it would keep controls at its border with Austria for six more months to ensure security and deal with migrant flows. Those controls have at times caused long queues on the Austrian side of the border near Salzburg. Austria has so far avoided introducing its own regular checks there, but Interior Minister Herbert Kickl floated a change in an interview on Thursday, saying public safety was worth any disruptions to business and tourism along one of the main north-south transit routes in Europe, Reuters said.