The EU is consummating its toughest position against immigration driven by the countries that are in the hands of the right and the extreme right. The tightening of border control has become one of the priorities of the 27, judging by the conclusions of the European Council, to the detriment of positions such as that of Spain, which advocates improving the relationship with the countries of origin and transit to address the migratory phenomenon from a positive perspective – of cooperation, collaboration or help – and not restrictive. One of the decisions of the leaders in a marathon meeting this Thursday that lasted until dawn has been to ask the commission to finance measures by the member states to contribute to the control of the external borders of the EU, such as “pilot management projects border”.
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In the subsequent press conference, the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, has specified that two pilot projects will be financed that will be provided with an “integrated package of mobile and immobile infrastructure” that includes watchtowers, cameras , etc. “One of the projects has a fence and it doesn’t work well,” explained the head of the community executive, who has always defended that Brussels could not finance the erection of walls to separate Bulgaria from Turkey, as claimed by some countries, such as Hungary, Austria and others from the East, and against the criteria of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
“There is no money in the European budget for that. If we spend money on billboards, there will be no money for other things”, the Interior Commissioner, Ylva Johansson, had said a few days before, who presented a strategy for the return of migrants who have been denied asylum, which is in very high percentages. low. Little by little, many of the countries learned of this and Von der Leyen sent a letter to the member states in which he spoke of reinforcing personnel, control and financing for infrastructure and equipment, as well as promoting a pilot project, but focused on return. .
What now appears in the conclusions of the European Council is a directive to the European Commission to “immediately mobilize substantial funds and means to support member states to strengthen their border protection capabilities and infrastructure, means of surveillance, including aerial surveillance , and equipment”. This means, in the eyes of the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, that the EU will give countries more means in the form of vehicles or personnel so that they can allocate their own funds to “hardening the fence”, that is, ultimately financing the ability to erect physical borders, reports Politico.
In recent days, the countries with the most anti-immigration positions had heated up the debate by demanding that the European Council make an express mention of the financing of border control infrastructures. Austria had gone so far as to threaten to block the conclusions of the extraordinary summit of 27. Eight countries – led by Austria, but also including Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Slovakia, Malta, Estonia and Lithuania – sent on the eve of the summit a letter to the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council asking that they allocate more funds and means to the protection of external borders.
“Spain does not share the security vision that many countries are proposing,” acknowledged Pedro Sánchez at the end of the meeting at a press conference in which he insisted that the “migration issue can be addressed by strengthening collaboration with the countries of origin and transit. “It is not solved with fences or higher walls,” he declared.
It will be up to Spain to a large extent to lead the debate on the migration pact during the Rotary presidency of the EU next semester, and all those involved hope that an agreement that for now is resisting will be closed at that time. Even so, the head of the Executive left the final decision on the financing of the billboards in the hands of the Commission, despite Spain’s rejection. “It is not what we defend,” he acknowledged before assuring that they will negotiate “for the sake of compromise and agreement.”
The European Council has also gone a step further with respect to its latest conclusions on the subject by making clear the intention to use restrictive measures on visas to countries that do not contribute to the return of migrants.
2023 02 09 Euco Conclusions In by Irene Castro on Scribd