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The European Commission granted the extension to Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway - which are all members of the visa-free and borderless zone.

Under the arrangement European citizens can travel without a visa through the designated zone, which covers most of the Brussels bloc.

But the Schengen agreement was almost destroyed last year as countries began blocking their borders to stop illegal immigration.

Several countries were forced to install temporary migration controls at their borders after the migrant crisis hit to prevent an influx of thousands of undocumented refugees from entering towns and cities undetected.

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Now the passport-free zone faces a fresh dilema after the European Union commission confirmed an extension of border controls - despite hopes Schengen could be saved.

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: "Significant progress has been made to lift internal border controls, but we need to solidify it further.

This is why we recommend allowing the Member States concerned to maintain temporary border controls for a further three months."

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The commission stressed they had made moved to stabilise the situation, but the conditions needed to return to normal border procedures have not yet been met.

A report into the issue highlighted the significant numbers of migrants still in Greece - adding that the situation remains fragile on the Western Balkans route that connects Turkey to Europe.

The issue of new security challenges, as demonstrated by the recent terrorist attacks in a number of European countries, have also been taken into account into the recommendations.

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Significant progress has been made to lift internal border controls, but we need to solidify it further.

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans

But a document published in March 2016 earmarked last December as the target date for bringing to an end the exceptional safeguard measures taken - meaning the target was not met.

And suggestions the move was partly influenced by German elections, which are due to be held in September were rejected by Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for migration.

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He said: Our decision is based on facts.

The Commission said that the migration crisis calming down, and the implementation of a series of measures to better manage the EUs external borders such as the launch of the European Border and Coast Guard last fall.

But it considers that the conditions of the Back to Schengen roadmap have not yet been entirely fulfilled.

Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizire, however, says the extension should run until the end of 2017 as the three-month limit 'does not go far enough'.

The Federal Government claimed it necessary to carry out checks at the internal borders "probably beyond mid-2017".

Such an extension is necessary "regarding the overall situation", while Federal Police also stated "a persistently high migration pressure on Europe".

More here:
SCHENGEN OVER: Europe STOPS free movement to tackle migrant crisis - Express.co.uk