Rare show of EU unity as it launches new border force
Print Edition
THE European Union launched its beefed-up border force yesterday in a rare show of unity by the squabbling bloc as it seeks to tackle its worst migration crisis since World War II.
EU officials inaugurated the new task force at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, the main land frontier for migrants seeking to enter the bloc by avoiding the dangerous Mediterranean sea crossing.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency will have at its disposal some 1,500 officers from 19 member states who can be swiftly mobilized in case of an emergency, like a sudden surge of migrants.
Brussels hopes the revamped agency will not just increase security, but also help to heal the huge rifts that have emerged between member states clashing over the EU’s refugee policies.
The long-term goal is to lift border controls inside the bloc and fully restore the passport-free Schengen Zone. “The new agency is stronger and better equipped to tackle migration and security challenges,” said the border agency’s director Fabrice Leggeri.
The new task force will also conduct stress tests at the bloc’s external borders to “identify vulnerabilities before a crisis hits,” he added.
EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos hailed the launch as a “historical day for the European Union.”
“From now onwards, the external EU border of one member state is the external border of all member states — both legally and operationally,” he said. “Countries like Bulgaria, Greece and Italy are still under pressure, but they are not alone.”
As part of its expanded mandate, the border agency will be involved in the repatriation of migrants who have their asylum claims rejected or are considered a security threat. Its new coast guard unit will also “play a key role at Europe’s maritime borders,” Leggeri said.
A growing number of desperate people attempt the treacherous sea journey from North Africa to Italy, after the so-called Balkan migrant trail was shut earlier this year.
More than 3,500 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean so far this year, latest figures show.
All 28 member states agreed on the creation of the new border agency earlier this year.
The boosted force is an expansion of Frontex, founded in 2004 to help coordinate Europe-wide efforts to combat people smuggling and illegal migration.
But the Warsaw-based agency proved inefficient last year when it was caught off guard by the hundreds of thousands of people who began trekking up from Greece across the western Balkans toward northern Europe.
With limited staffing and powers, Frontex was unable to effectively patrol the EU’s external borders, including those of frontline countries Greece and Italy where most migrants enter.
The relaunched agency will have an annual budget of 320 million euros (US$358 million).
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