Danish parliament's vote on border control plan postponed

(COPENHAGEN) - The Danish parliament said Thursday that a vote on the government's controversial plan to introduce permanent custom controls would be postponed by a week.

"The debate will be postponed until next Friday," a parliament official told AFP. It was initially planned for this Friday.

The debate, called for by the opposition, was being delayed because the government has yet to answer questions from parliament's tax committee, preventing the committee from issuing a report Parliament needs before holding the debate.

Under pressure from its far-right ally, Denmark's centre-right government hammered out a plan to re-introduce permanent custom controls at its borders.

The plan, which has met heavy criticism both at home and abroad, had been set to easily pass through Denmark's parliamentary finance committee earlier this month.

But a counter-proposal by the opposition forced the government to put the matter to a full vote in parliament.

Critics at home and abroad, especially the European Commission and southern neighbour Germany, have cautioned that the plan might undermine the 26-nation Schengen border-free area.