Germany insists tighter border checks in line with EU rules

An officer of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) escorts a group of migrants near Forst, eastern Germany on October 11, 2023, during a patrol near the border with Poland. [AFP]

Germany on Tuesday insisted its move to launch border controls with its nine neighbouring countries to stop irregular migrants is in line with the EU's rules and not an attempt to go it alone.

Berlin would not take unilateral measures "that could harm the European Union", Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said after Poland slammed the decision and the EU cautioned that border checks could only be introduced as an "exceptional" measure.