Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen announced on Monday that Denmark has stepped up border controls at its southern boundary with Germany to stem the flow of migrants. The move comes just hours after Sweden introduced ID checks for all passengers travelling by train from Denmark to Sweden. Rasmussen told reporters in Copenhagen that the temporary measure was a direct reaction to the Swedish decision. He expressed his dismay at having to introduce tighter controls, warning it could have a negative impact on prosperity, and called on European leaders to take collective action to better protect the bloc’s external borders. RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Copenhagen - 4 January 2016 1. Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen walking to podium 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Danish Prime Minister: “What we are doing today is that we purely react to a decision made in Sweden. And, previous to the Swedish decision, a decision in Norway and Finland as well. And we expect that the new week’s measures could cause serious disruption of the traffic flows from Denmark to Sweden and we have to respond to that in a very balanced way. So what we are doing today is not implementing one to one the Swedish solution with the Danish-German border. We are introducing temporary border control but in a balanced way, where the police will control buses and trains but still leave room for ordinary people to cross the borders.” 3. Rasmussen at news conference 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Danish Prime Minister: “I think it’s pretty obvious that we are in a situation. If the European Union can’t protect the external borders, you will see more and more countries which will be forced into introducing temporary internal border control. This is something we need to take very seriously, because it will have a negative impact on prosperity. I’m a true believer of the freedom of movement. This is not a happy moment at all. We have invested billions in infrastructure between Sweden and Denmark, we have invested millions in international branding of the greater Copenhagen region. So this is a step backwards. But I mean, I need to be pragmatic and I must respond to what’s going on precisely this day in the Copenhagen area. We tried to do it in a very balanced way, so trade and ordinary people still can cross the borders. So the impact on the ordinary life is as small as possible.” 5. Rasmussen at news conference 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Danish Prime Minister: “What we need now is the European leaders who should respond to this. I mean, we have been pushing and pushing for a European solution. And what we need now is to take decisions about introducing the hotspots in reality. So this is a clear signal that Europe now needs to take decisions which can protect the external borders. If we don’t do this it will of course have a potential negative impact on the freedom of movement in Europe and, in the long run, on European prosperity and growth. Thank you very much.” 7. Rasmussen leaving news conference ++CONTINUES FROM SHOT 6++