Germany has extended temporary border controls for six months and informed the European Union, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday as he tries to show his government is combating irregular migration less than two weeks before an election.

BERLIN -- Germany will extend its strict border controls, initially implemented to address migration and terrorism concerns, for an additional six months beyond their planned expiration in March, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday.

Germany’s outgoing government is the border checks it imposed on all its frontiers last fall by another six months as it attempts to cut the number of migrants arriving in the country.

Germany is extending controls on all its external border through 15 September, the German government announced Wednesday. The controls had been due to expire next month. Earlier, Luxembourg had threatened to refer the matter to the European Commission if the border controls were extended.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the move, stating it has effectively reduced asylum applications and illegal crossings. View on euronews