15 EU Countries Sign Declaration for Stronger EU Border Protection & Fight Against Smugglers

15 European Union Member States have signed a declaration last Friday, February 24, in Athens, Greece, for the effective protection of the EU external borders, during the second European Conference on Border Management co-hosted by Austria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland.

Throughout the meeting, the representatives of the 15 participating Member States have agreed to offer organised asylum to those in need, while not letting smugglers determine who will enter Europe, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Throughout the conference, the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi, said that Europe must decide what type of migration policy it wants, and how it plans to protect the external borders of the EU.

“Clearly, we need to offer asylum to people in need of protection, but in an orderly way. Today, unfortunately, it is the people smugglers that “sell” places in our societies. Not to those most in need, but to those that pay the fees,” he said.

Whereas the Minister of Interior of Lithuania, Agnė Bilotaitė, said that for Lithuania and the other EU countries bordering Russia, since February 24, 2022, border protection means more than countering illegal migration.

“In the current geopolitical context, border protection becomes border defence,” she said, adding that the EU must continue helping Ukraine, as the EU border cannot be protected without a strong Ukraine.

Amongst others, the declaration signed on Friday recalls the positions taken under the Joint Statement of January 2022 in Vilnius, signed by a number of Member States regarding external border protection, which include:

• the instrumentalisation of irregular migration
• support for frontline Member States like Greece, Italy, Spain, and Cyprus
• security and integrity of the Schengen area and external actions to tackle and prevent irregular and secondary migration
• capacity building in the area of border management in relevant non-EU countries along the major migratory routes

The new declaration also calls for financial support for frontline Member States at the external borders, as well as the Member States who bilaterally support fellow Member States and partner third countries in their border management or return activities.

Throughout the conference, the participating Member States have agreed to stand committed to offering protection to those in need, in this case to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the invasion of their homeland by the Russian military.

Last week, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that in 2022, nearly one million asylum applications were filed at the EU authoritieswhich is 50 per cent higher than in 2021, and the highest number of asylum seekers ever recorded since 2016.

Syrians and Afghans once again topped the table with 132,000 and 129,000 applications filed respectively, followed by Turkish nationals, Venezuelans and Colombians.

>> Italy Received Over 77,000 Asylum Applications in 2022