Germany's Scholz defends decision to expand control of land borders

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has defended the planned expansion of the nation's border controls as he addressed the public in a citizens' dialogue on Saturday.

"Irregular migration is not what we want," Scholz told the gathering in Prenzlau, Brandenburg. If, as last year, 300,000 people came to Germany, only some of whom were entitled to protection, "then that is not good," he said.

Therefore, one must look more closely at who has the right to enter, "because unfortunately we cannot completely rely on all our neighbours doing what they should do," Scholz said.

Germany is a member of the Schengen area, which allows some 420 million people in 29 European countries to travel freely without facing border controls.

But checks are already in place at some of Germany's nine borders, including with Poland. Scholz's comments come as Germany on Monday extends the controls of its borders with Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Scholz emphasized that border controls - initially set to last six months - would be carried out in accordance with European law.

They were ordered by German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in a bid to curb the number of unauthorized entries more effectively. While the steps have been criticized by Germany's neighbouring countries, Berlin has pointed to security risks posed by irregular migration and smuggling activities at the EU's external borders.