EPP Common line

Keeping control of the EU external borders

The current situation at the Greek/Turkey and Bulgarian borders shows how right the EPP was
in standing for an effective protection of our external borders. The Greek external border is the
EU external border, it is our external border, and it is Europe’s common duty to protect it and
ensure security of every citizen.

The EPP applauds the courage and the efficiency of the Greek Government and strongly supports
the leadership shown by Prime Minister Mitsotakis in handling this delicate situation, which is
about the ability of the EU to respond firmly to the blackmail and the irresponsible behaviour of
Turkey.

We believe in a Europe that enforces the law and controls who enters its territory. We therefore
will never allow the EU to be intimidated by any of its neighbours who use human lives as pawns
in a dangerous game of geo-political extortion in an attempt to create pressure.

The EU cannot afford to miss another opportunity to take the urgent measures needed in the
short term, nor lose the momentum to achieve an ambitious migration policy that brings results
and provides for certainty in the short, medium and longer term. We therefore demand that the
extraordinary meeting of the EU Ministers of interior as well as the Council meeting on foreign
affairs takes the following decisive and urgent actions this week:

(1) Deploy 2,000 border guards to Greece and Bulgaria: Step up the effective
operationalisation of Frontex to ensure the scaling up of the Agency to 10,000 officers by the end
of the year and therefore show that border protection is a collective task and a responsibility that
lie into every Europeans.

(2) Grant Greece additional financial assistance of 1 billion euros: border protection is a key
task for the EU, which must be fairly reflected in the MFF. EPP will not accept any reduction to
the Frontex budget.

(3) Urgently activate EU agencies Frontex, EASO, Europol for emergency support to Greece
and Bulgaria and ensure they are in a position to respond immediately to any calls for assistance
by state authorities.

(4) EU-Turkey deal cannot be used as an escalation option for President Erdogan. If
President Erdogan does not stop his threats towards Europe, the EU has to consider suspending
the custom union until Turkey stops his inhuman blackmail at the expense of thousands of human
beings.

(5) Immediately trigger the Civil protection mechanism: to provide medical and equipment
aid in cooperation with the UNHCR. Effectively controlling the borders is the only way to also
ensure the humanitarian treatment of any people in need of assistance at the border.

(6) The Dublin reform and asylum package must be the main issue of the EUCO meeting of 26
/27 March- with a clear commitment to see the package finalised under the German Presidency.

(7) EU Diplomatic offensive on Syria: EU should not forget the causes of the misery of
thousands of migrants at the Greek and Bulgarian borders. Syria’s Assad and Russia’s President
Putin have destabilised Syria and caused the most serious migration crisis in recent history.
Stabilisation of Syria should be the top priority of all diplomatic efforts of the EU for 2020. EU
should impose stronger sanctions against Russia and should finally block Nord Stream 2 project.