Countries on the EU’s external borders demand more EU funds for border protection More than 8 million refugees: Ukrainians found shelter here

15 EU border countries have asked Brussels for more financial support in securing the Union’s external borders against illegal migration. That is the conclusion of a conference on Friday in Athens with representatives of the countries involved, including Greece, Cyprus, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. “More efficient border controls require more operational capabilities,” said Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis. This concerns both cooperation with neighboring countries of the EU and resources to guard the borders. Because it is a shared responsibility, “significant EU funding” is required, Mitarakis said.

According to EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the EU can better deal with the many war refugees from Ukraine than with the high migration figures in the crisis years of 2015 and 2016. Today, however, the bulk of migration at the EU’s external borders is about economic migrants. Asylum applications must therefore be processed more quickly, she said at the conference.

Because migration is a joint responsibility of EU states, the EU must make “significant resources” available for it, according to a joint agreement between the participating states. Support from the EU border control agency Frontex must also be stepped up in the affected countries.

The final statement states that work is being done on sustainable migration management for the EU. It is about striking the right balance between solidarity and responsibility. This also includes an analysis of whether agreements with safe third countries are possible. Conference host Greece recently announced that it would expand the border closure with Turkey on the northeastern Greek border to prevent illegal migration. Athens had repeatedly requested EU funding for this, but was not given it.

(yam/sda/dpa)