German interior minister: border checks to continue until EU solution

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday that German border controls will continue until a European solution to manage the numbers of unauthorized entries is found.

"We will have to carry out border checks in Germany until we have European solutions to ensure that the external border is better protected," she said.

EU interior ministers are meeting in Luxembourg to discuss managing migration as governments come under increasing pressure from the far right to address the issue.

Faeser said that stepping up the implementation of the EU asylum and migration pact - landmark new rules hardening the bloc's approach to migration and administration asylum - will be her priority.

Germany is in "very close dialoque" with the European Commission to bring forward provisions of the pact, Faeser said.

Another policy in focus is the EU's return policy governing deportations.

In May, 15 EU countries called on the commission to set up centres outside of the bloc where where rejected asylum seekers could be brought until their deportation.

Faeser was cautious in her comments on the idea, noting that this would require a partner state and was "the most difficult point."

Since September 16, checks have been conducted at all German borders to reduce the number of unauthorized entries.

New checks have been implemented at land borders with Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. There have already been temporary checks at the border with France since the end of July due to the Olympic Games.

The borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland have had tighter controls for a longer period.