Merkel last-ditch migrant deal faces EU headwinds

BERLIN: An 11th-hour deal clinched by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to rescue her fragile government by limiting migrant arrivals immediately ran into European resistance on Tuesday, with neighbouring Austria vowing to "protect" its borders.

In high-stakes crisis talks overnight, Merkel put to rest for now a dangerous row with a longtime rival, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, that had threatened the survival of her shaky 100-day-old coalition.

Looking relieved, Merkel -- who has been in power since 2005 -- hailed a "very good compromise" that would "control" new arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers while upholding EU cooperation and values.

However, criticism from Vienna and her junior coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), threatened to throw a spanner in the works. If the agreement reached is approved by the German government as a whole, "we will be obliged to take measures to avoid disadvantages for Austria and its people," Vienna’s rightwing government warned.

And it would be "ready to take measures to protect our southern borders in particular," it said referring to the frontiers with Italy and Slovenia. Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl expressed anger Vienna "was not consulted", in remarks quoted by Austrian media.

The Austrian reaction raised the spectre of a domino effect in Europe, with member states taking increasingly restrictive measures to shut out refugees. "If Austria wants to introduce controls at the border, then that is its right," Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said.