The Austrian interior minister has proposed sending troops to the Balkans or North Africa to control migration.

Speaking at the National Defence Academy in Vienna on Tuesday, Herbert Kickl said it was Austria's goal to export the idea of "assistance missions" to other countries.

At the moment, several hundred soldiers are assisting the Austrian police with controls at the borders with Slovenia, Hungary and Italy.

The system has been in place in Austria since 2016 in a bid to help relieve overstretched police forces.

Kickl said that as long as Frontex wasn't ready, the EU had to look into other options to protect its external borders.