Commission to unveil new border force as flow eases
The European Commission will in the coming week present its proposal to expand the mandate of border agency Frontex by creating a new European Union force that will guard the bloc’s land and sea frontiers.
In a move that is likely to irk EU members wary of giving up too much of their national sovereignty, the 10-page plan that has been seen by Kathimerini says the proposed force could be deployed on the border of a member state without its prior consent.
According to the same document, which is signed by European Immigration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and EC Vice President Frans Timmermans, the unit will be made up of 1,000-2,000 men deployable within two or three days.
It will also have a mandate to operate in non-EU countries upon their request.
Meanwhile, Frontex said on Friday that the number of irregular migrants reaching Greece in November dropped by 50 percent compared to the previous month. The agency said it recorded 100,000 people compared to more than 200,000 in October.
Officials said it was too early to identify a pattern.
