After hours of bickering on Friday morning, the European Union agreed to tighten its asylum and migration policies. The final statement at the EU summit aims to prevent illegal entry in advance or to make it less attractive. Chancellor Karl Nehammer was pleased with the result. Even though the EU funding for border fences along the EU’s external borders that he is asking for is not explicitly mentioned in the final document. It only says that EU funds should be mobilized for “infrastructure” at the borders.
In addition, two pilot projects are starting at the external borders. According to Ursula, President of the European Commission, one of the projects is to secure the border between the EU country of Bulgaria and Turkey with vehicles, cameras, roads and watchtowers. These should be financed from EU funds, the Bulgarian budget and contributions from EU countries. After the special EU summit, Nehammer said: “We have made it clear that the EU’s external border countries are supported.” The EU is gearing up in the fight against illegal migration. All EU external border countries are at the center of attention from the European Commission. “There has never been a Council with such clarity,” the chancellor said. “This is an important signal.” It was a “success of drilling hard boards” that even Luxembourg agreed. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel had previously spoken out against EU-funded border fences.
Regarding funding, Nehammer referred to the upcoming review of the EU budget. It was agreed that nearly three billion euros would be made available for the implementation of these projects. EU states agree that more pressure should be put on countries that do not cooperate in taking back rejected asylum seekers. This should lead to more people leaving the EU without a right of residence. A stricter visa policy, trade policy and development aid should serve as leverage.
Nehammer: First border control, then Schengen
With regard to Austria’s veto against Schengen expansion, Nehammer said that the protection of the external borders must be solved as a priority before we can talk about Schengen. It was postulated at the summit that Schengen would fail if the migration issue was not resolved. “It was a very serious and in-depth discussion.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
