BERLIN (Reuters) – Border controls introduced by Germany could be extended beyond Dec. 15 if necessary as they have proved very successful in fighting smugglers and irregular migration, the German interior minister said.

“For me, the border controls will remain as long as necessary,” Nancy Faeser said on Tuesday in the city of Goerlitz on the Polish border, adding that this would probably be until the European asylum system takes effect.

The European Union agreed in December on new rules to handle irregular arrivals of asylum seekers and migrants, a deal hailed as a breakthrough after almost…