Austria border controls 'indispensable' — Germany's Scholz

Germany's Olaf Scholz is in Austria's second city of Salzburg on Friday to discuss renewed migration pressures on the European Union with his Austrian counterpart, Karl Nehammer.

The two chancellors discussed border controls within Europe's visa-free Schengen area as well as ways to limit irregular migration.

What did the two leaders say?

Scholz called for understanding for border controls at Austria's frontier with Germany during a meeting with Nehammer. "At the moment, given the numbers we know, this is something that is indispensable," Scholz said.

Scholz pointed to rising numbers of migrants arriving in Germany in his remarks following a meeting with the Austrian chancellor. 

Germany most recently extended the controls, which have been in place since 2015, for another six months in May. Vienna has expressed unhappiness at the measure, but Austria also controls its borders with southern and eastern neighbors — a measure Scholz pointed out at the press conference.

In April, Austria said it would extend controls at its borders with Hungary and Slovenia for another six months from May.

Both chancellors emphasized the need for the EU to find a comprehensive solution to deal with the growing number of migrants entering irregularly.

The Austrian government is blocking the extension of the open border Schengen area to include European Union members Bulgaria and Romania, citing irregular migration.

"Germany is still carrying out checks at the border to Austria, which shows that the Schengen system doesn't work," Austrian news agency APA cited Nehammer as saying ahead of his talks with Scholz.

Germany has had border controls with Austria in place since 2015, when tens of thousands of people headed to Western Europe through the Balkans.

Vienna has also faced criticism for introducing stationary border controls at its frontier with Hungary, partly as a response to Budapest saying it would release thousands of convicted people smugglers from prison.

Closely intertwined neighbors

Germany is Austria's most important trading partner, with some 30% of all Austrian exports — a trade volume of about €130 billion ($142 billion) — going to its northern neighbor.

Germans also represent the largest group of foreigners in Austria, with some 217,000 Germans living in the Alpine nation last year according to the data agency Statistics Austria.

Meanwhile, the German Foreign Ministry says some 256,000 Austrians live across the border in Germany.

kb,rc/ab (AFP, dpa)