EU to introduce new border controls?

(Baonghean.vn) - The European Union (EU) has proposed the establishment of a new border and coast guard agency for the bloc and plans to increase spending on border security. The plan is aimed at preventing the flow of migrants from conflict zones in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The EU is planning new border controls for the bloc. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

“What we are creating now is a more authentic Europe,” EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on December 15. He added that the proposal would “allow us to move forward with greater solidarity, decisiveness and determination.”

The European Commission’s latest plan aims to boost security in the bloc while maintaining free movement among the 26 countries in the Schengen area. The proposal would replace the EU’s Frontex agency with a new European Border and Coast Guard agency. Frontex, which coordinates national border agencies, currently has around 400 staff. This number is expected to rise to 1,000 as plans are implemented.

The new force will receive 322 million euros ($354 million) in funding until 2020 and will expand its capabilities, including a 1,500-strong rapid-reaction force on standby. The new agency will also be responsible for deporting people who do not qualify for asylum in Europe.

The European Commission also expressed its desire to have the capacity to deploy border and coast guard teams “when a member state is unable or unwilling to take the necessary measures.” Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said there could be “exceptional situations where a member state, for whatever reason, is unable to deal with the situation on its own.”

“In an area of ​​free movement without internal borders, the management of Europe's external borders must be a shared responsibility,” added Timmermans.

Force deployment capability

It is estimated that more than 600,000 migrants have crossed the sea to Europe this year. Photo: dpa.

However, the proposal still needs to be approved by the European Parliament before it can be implemented, and countries such as Greece have already signaled hesitation about an EU-wide defence policy.

“That proposal is tantamount to an indirect violation of our sovereignty… We will not support this,” Notis Marias, a Greek lawmaker, told Reuters.

Timmermans sought to reassure member states opposed to the EU’s common defence plan. “There is a lot of talk about us imposing our will on member states… This is a safety net. Most member states will be happy to accept the help,” he said.

High Commissioner for Migration Avramopoulos also posted a message on Twitter: “Member States remain primarily responsible for managing their external borders, we are not taking away their sovereignty.”

The plan has received support from Italy, with Interior Minister Angelino Alfano insisting that movement within EU borders “must not only be free, but also safe.” German State Secretary Michael Roth told reporters in Brussels that his country was “very grateful that the European Commission has put forward these ambitious proposals.”

Pressure to tighten border controls has increased following the November 13 attacks in Paris. Some of the attackers are believed to have followed migrant routes from Syria to Türkiye and Greece.

Meanwhile, the flow of migrants from Türkiye and Greece more than halved in November, to 108,000, a slowdown Frontex said was due to worsening weather conditions and tightening of EU border controls.

Thu Giang

(According to dpa, Reuters)