We welcome and endorse today’s proposals by the European Commission regarding the security threats that face the EU’s external borders today. Internal and external security is a non-negotiable basic right of Europeans and today, more than ever, bold action is required to ensure our borders remain protected by potential external threats, while open for those escaping war and terrorism themselves.
The European Commission adopted 3 of our main proposals, debated and put forward at our recent Council Meeting in Kyiv, on the 5th December.
YEPP called for:
The EU to give all the support needed to countries along the Balkan route to stop illegal migratory flows and to establish hotspots along the way;
The EU to intensively support the protection and surveillance of external borders. Financial and practical support has to be provided to Member States with external borders;
Effective border protection, proper registration of migrants and the swift and effective return of those who do not qualify for protection. Asylum seekers arriving from countries classified as safe should be returned to their home countries as soon as possible.
The European Commission proposal empowers Member States to take timely corrective action, while in urgent situations that put the functioning of the Schengen Area at risk, the relative Agency will be able to step in to ensure that action is taken on the ground.
Furthermore, the Commission proposes that external borders are to be constantly monitored with periodic risk analyses and mandatory vulnerability assessments to identify and address weak spots. Liaison officers will be sent to Member States where the borders are at risk to be fully plugged into the national information systems, able to relay the information back to the Agency. A rapid reserve pool of border guards and a technical equipment pool will be put at the disposal of the Agency, meaning there will no longer be shortages of staff of equipment for Agency operations.
Regarding the proper registration and the swift and effective return of asylum fraudsters who do not qualify for protection, the European Commission proposes the creation of a European Return Office to allow the deployment of Return Intervention Teams composed of specialists who will work to effectively return illegal immigrants.
We urge Member States to cooperate and implement the proposals for a common, unified and effective response to the crisis. We will work with our member organisations on a national level to put pressure where needed for decisive action.
Download and read the resolution on The external borders of the European Union must be secured as adopted at the Kyiv Council Meeting on December 5th.
