Eight EU countries are asking ahead of a summit for an "
innovative
" reform of asylum and a strengthening of border protection, calling for the avoidance of "
another
major
migration crisis
", according to a letter consulted on Tuesday February 7 by the AFP.
"
The current asylum system is failing
" and it is "
high time to put in place an innovative response
", write Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovakia .
6 billion euros for the protection of the external borders
They are hoping for "
tangible progress
" on Thursday and Friday when European Union (EU) leaders meet in Brussels.
Faced with the increase in irregular arrivals, the signatories want to “
strengthen the protection of the external borders
”, in particular via “
the deployment of infrastructures
”.
Countries including Austria have been calling for EU support for fences for several weeks.
The Commission has so far refused, considering that “
building walls and barbed wire
” is not the right solution.
But the Commission has opened the door to financing surveillance means, such as cameras or motion detectors.
For 2021-2027, the EU has a budget of six billion euros intended for the protection of its external borders.
This is the sum which was approved by the Member States, whereas the Commission had requested 11.4 billion.
Read alsoMigration crisis: migrant camps outside the EU
The authors of the letter also wish to "
increase the number of rapid returns
", "
develop new partnerships
" with countries of origin and "
strengthen communication
" to discourage candidates for travel.
At the end of January, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said she was confident about the adoption of the asylum reform, under discussion since September 2020, before the European elections in 2024. This question has divided the EU since the refugee crisis in 2015-2016.
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