Germany pledges new border checks will be 'targeted' to avoid queues

Border controls along all of Germany's frontiers will be targeted to "combat cross-border crime and further limit irregular migration," the Interior Ministry said on Sunday, a day before the expanded measures take effect.

Neighbouring states have expressed concern that the border checks will lead to tailbacks, hampering regular cross-border traffic. The measures were announced last week amid a caustic German debate on migration triggered by a spate of recent attacks.

The police will carry out the spot checks "flexibly and according to current security requirements," the Interior Ministry said. The extent, duration and specific locations for the controls would depend on these factors.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said Germany would "continue to act in close coordination" with its neighbouring states and would ensure that "people in the border regions, commuters, trade and business are affected as little as possible by the controls."

She told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that there would be no long traffic jams. Nevertheless, her ministry indicated that disruptions could not be ruled out, while noting that travellers and commuters should carry an identity document when crossing the border.

The assurances came as the Danish police warned of congestion due to Germany's planned border controls.

The situation is compounded by road works on the E45 motorway crossing at Frøslev which are due to last until November, reducing the road to a single lane.

Denmark also introduced controls at the border to Germany, most recently extending them until November.

From Monday, Germany will additionally carry out border controls on its frontiers to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark for an initial six months, extending measures already in place on its borders with Switzerland, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Several European countries including Poland, Denmark and Greece have criticized the expanded controls, which are only intended in exceptional cases within Europe's passport-free Schengen area.