In a rebuke to Brussels, the German government is extending its border checks beyond September amid the Ceuta migration crisis.

Axar.az reports, citing Euractiv, that this information was announced by Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s interior minister and a Bavarian Christian democrat, on Friday.

“Migration pressure on Europe remains high, as the massive surge of migrants toward Spain currently shows,” he said.

Dobrindt is in a standing row with Brussels – where his sweeping, multi-year border checks have caused concern over the future of the bloc’s free-travel area, Schengen.

“Our successes in pushing back illegal migration must be preserved and further expanded,” the migration hardliner said in a statement shared with media. The border checks would be extended “beyond September”.

“Flexible, adapted internal border controls must continue to be maintained for this purpose,” said the Bavarian politician.