Austria to follow German lead in tightening border controls: interior minister

Austria is to introduce temporary border controls to tackle the asylum seeker crisis following Germany's decision on Sunday to do the same, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Monday.

Following the earlier announcement from the chancellor and vice-chancellor that Austria would be deploying troops to aid in the crisis, Mikl-Leitner said ahead of a meeting of EU interior and justice ministers in Brussels that the border controls would begin with the shared border with Hungary, with the temporary controls allowed as part of the Schengen Agreement.

She said while beginning with Hungary, it "remains open" which borders control checks will be most concentrated on, and that "in any case we will begin as soon as possible."

The minister said the move is a "signal" that Europe needs a broad, common approach to the problem which she hoped EU leaders could convene to solve as soon as possible.

"It is hopefully clear to everyone that this only works cooperatively, that we only have two alternatives, either that Europe fails or we work together and come out of this situation stronger," she added.

The minister acknowledged that asylum seekers are continuing to stream into Austria, with about 18,000 currently in the country. Endit