Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) welcomes recent statements by EU Commissioner of the Interior Ylva Johansson, who wants to solve the dispute over EU funds for border fences “pragmatically”. “This is a step in the right direction and shows that our insistence was important.” Concrete measures should follow immediately at the EU summit next week, “so that we can prevent illegal migration,” the Chancellor said on Wednesday.
Even if the problem were to be solved, Johansson insisted on Tuesday that building walls and fences of barbed wire is not a solution. “But we must protect our external borders and use EU funds as effectively as possible, so I do not rule out physical infrastructure.” What that will ultimately look like is still uncertain for the time being.
Your spokesperson later clarified that these are not fences and walls. Johansson also specified that the EU Commission cannot fund everything that member states want. For example, EU funds are currently being used to pay border guards.
Ask about border fences
Some EU countries – including Austria – have long demanded that the European Commission also fund the construction of border fences at the EU’s external borders. Most recently, Nehammer pushed for two billion euros from the European Commission for the expansion of the border fence in Bulgaria.
“Finally stop uncontrolled immigration”
Nehammer thanked Johansson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for “responding to our arguments. Austrian persuasion is effective. Since my time as interior minister, I have demanded more EU funds be used to protect the external borders. Nehammer wants to “further tighten the asylum brake and finally put an end to uncontrolled immigration”.
Austria will continue to press for effective external border control to become a reality, the Chancellor continued. “Than Our security is our top priority and it was all the more important that we finally put the migration issue back on the EU agenda. This is only possible if you consistently push for solutions and advertise them to many European partners – which is exactly what we have done,” says Nehammer proudly.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
