EU trade ministers on Friday gave the green light to Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway - all members of the visa-free Schengen zone - to extend temporary border controls for three months, dpa reported. Schengen allows passport-free travel across 26 countries without border checks, but last year's influx of more than 1 million migrants raised concerns about security, especially along the so-called Balkan route from Greece to northern and Western Europe. Balkan countries and Austria closed down the route in mid-February, but fears have persisted that Greek authorities, overwhelmed by crowded refugee camps and a fragile finances, are ill-equipped to control Schengen's external frontier. The EU recommended on May 12 that the five Schengen countries could continue to enforce temporary border controls for a maximum of six months for "exceptional circumstances." Berlin, Vienna and Copenhagen had all called for an extension of border controls beyond a November 12 deadline, and several European states initially criticized the move, arguing that migration pressures have dropped off.
