Denmark bats for permanent border control to ward off terrorism

With general elections in Denmark less than a month away, the country's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen proposed permanent border control in a bid to keep cross-border crime in check along with warding off terrorism.

"We must ensure that we have permanent border control. We are facing a number of challenges, such as immigration pressures, cross-border crime and terrorism. Therefore, as a nation state, we need to control our borders," Sputnik quoted Rasmussen as saying.

This reportedly goes against the European Union's basic idea of free border movement amongst member-states. The Danish Prime Minister also stressed on the need for new Schengen rules, in order to re-instate Denmark's authority over its own borders.

He also put forth the need for the allocation of USD 7.5 million for research and new technology which will make carrying out border checks easier.

Seven Schengen countries -- including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Sweden -- introduced border controls in response to the European migrant crisis.

Denmark will hold the much-awaited general elections on June 5 to elect new MPs to the 179-member Parliament or the Folketing.

Opinion polls suggest that Rasmussen's centre-right coalition will cede power to the opposition left-wing bloc, headed by the Social Democrats.