EU Wants Migrant Crisis Border ID Checks in Germany and Sweden Stopped this Year

ROME (AP) — The European Union says it will allow Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and non-EU country Norway to prolong ID checks at their borders but want the migrant controls phased out by November.

The five are members of Europe’s passport-free travel area. A year ago, as Greece struggled to maintain control of its maritime border because of the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants, the five introduced ID checks for security reasons.

They have prolonged them for six months twice since May 14, 2016, but may only do so once more. Systematic ID checks are banned in the area, known as Schengen.

EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Tuesday that controls will be prolonged, but he called on “member states to phase them out” over six months.