Anti-migrant border checks 'last resort' says Berlin-update2

(ANSA) - Berlin, September 10 - The German government on Wednesday rejected a proposal by the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party of Bavaria to set up border checks to prevent illegal migrant entries from Italy.
    Such a measure would only be "a last resort" under strict conditions, an interior ministry spokesperson said.
    For that to happen, EU interior ministers would have to review European refugee policy.
    The issue at hand is combating human trafficking, and not asylum seekers per se, the ministry added.
    This means better cooperation with countries of origin and transit countries, such as Italy. Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer on Monday told German daily Bild that Germany should "seriously think about" stopping Italy's alleged breaches of the Schengen accords by new border checks on migrants. The CSU is the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU.
    Bavaria last month accused Italy of blatantly waiving EU migrant rules.
    Rome is deliberately ignoring standard refugee procedures such as finger-printing in order to let them seek asylum in other countries, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann said on August 22.
    Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano should not complain about high refugee arrivals to Italy while at the same time allegedly not respecting EU norms on them, Herrmann said.