Sweden said it was scrapping systematic ID checks that it had introduced on its border (Representational)
Sweden said Tuesday that it was scrapping systematic identity checks that it had introduced on its border with Denmark in January 2016 to help slow an influx of migrants.
The announcement was made at a press conference by Interior Minister Anders Ygeman and Infrastructure Minister Anna Johansson.
They also said the government would step up police and customs oversight of the border with Denmark.
"The government's opinion is that border controls are always necessary and that their scope should be increased," Mr Ygeman said.
However, Sweden will stop systematic identity checks on the two border points with Denmark after the migrant flow fell sharply.
One frontier point is the crossing over the Oresund strait between Copenhagen and Malmo; the other is between the Danish port of Helsingor and its Swedish counterpart, Helsingborg.
Routine border checks have become a daily irritation for thousands of Swedes and Danes who travel between Malmo and Copenhagen to work.
The need for the controls has become less necessary because curbs in southeastern Europe and on the border with Turkey have slashed the flow of migrants to Nordic countries.
"The result has been that number of refugees has fallen by 80 percent," Mr Ygeman said.
Sweden took in 81,000 asylum seekers in 2014, which rose to 163,000 in 2015. But the figure plummeted to 29,000 last year, and a similar tally is expected for 2017.
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