Greece to support boosting Frontex powers in EU summit
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to back a plan by the European Union to widen the bloc’s border agency’s scope and powers and call for a fair distribution of the burdens caused by migration when European leaders meeting in Salzburg this week.
The plan, presented by European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos last week, will increase Frontex’s budget to almost 11.3 billion euros between 2021 and 2027 while the number of operational staff is seen rising from 1,300 to 10,000 by 2020, with member-states contributing to the corps.
According to government sources, Tsipras will also note the need for an upgrade of the EU’s asylum agency to speed up application procedures and an improvement of the EU’s return policy.
He is expected to seek a revision of the European asylum system to establish effective mechanisms for legal migration from third countries and transitional resettlement schemes, especially for crises such as the one in Syria.
Concerning Brexit talks, Tsipras is expected to say that a no-deal scenario should be avoided as it will have serious consequences for Europe, businesses and people.
