VIENNA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Wednesday granted Austria permission to extend border controls at its shared border with Slovenia for another six months, local media reported.

Austria had initially been granted the right to put the controls in place during the 2015 refugee crisis.

It has since then been reviewed by the EU every six months.

The Interior Ministry said the reason for its extension of the controls is due to security problems that result from the influx of refugees.

The border controls mean that travelers across the border are required with a passport or an acceptable identity card.