Limiting Germany's refugee intake is a major issue in the campaign for the February 23 federal election, with the conservatives and far-right parties leading polls partly thanks to promises to halt the influx.

Germany has extended border controls for six months to combat irregular migration, announced Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The country reported a significant decrease in asylum applications, reflecting the effectiveness of its measures.

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

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

Asylum applications in Germany fell by 34% last year, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, in news welcomed by the outgoing Social Democrat interior minister amid heated debates over migration ahead of a national election set for Feb.

The German government has extended controls at all of the country's land borders by another six months in an effort to further reduce irregular migration, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday. "With border controls,