BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday he expected to soon end border controls after EU countries backed a significant tightening of Europe's migration policy.
The new measures, supported by EU interior ministers in Brussels on Monday, include setting up "return hubs" outside the 27-nation bloc for failed asylum seekers.
Merz said the plans meant that "we will be able to shift border controls to Europe's external borders" but without specifying when German border controls may be lifted.
Germany first introduced border checks with its nine neighbours in September 2024 under former chancellor Olaf Scholz, aiming to curb irregular immigration and heighten security.
Merz's government further tightened border checks when it took power in May, moving to boost police numbers and reject most asylum seekers as part of a crackdown on migration.
Members of Europe's Schengen area are allowed to temporarily reintroduce border controls for up to two years in response to serious threats such as terrorism or large-scale unauthorised migration.
Speaking in the western city of Mainz, Merz said that he had "always considered the border controls to be something of limited duration".
"If a common European asylum policy is launched in the European Union, that will be exactly what we always wanted," he said.
The new measures agreed in Brussels must still be approved by the European Parliament before coming into force.
As well as return hubs outside the EU, they also threaten penalties for migrants who refuse to leave European territory, including longer periods of detention.
Migrants could also be returned to countries that are not their countries of origin, but which Europe considers "safe".
