A special meeting of EU ministers had been proposed in the past few days by Italy, which would like more support in view of the increasing number of refugee arrivals in the Mediterranean.
Lithuania recently sealed off its border with Belarus after an onslaught of migrants apparently brought into the country by ruler Alexander Lukashenko from the Middle East. The EU then accused Lukashenko of “instrumentalizing” migrants in the current conflict with the EU.
A number of EU states, including Austria, are pressing for the continuation of the repatriation of Afghans without a right of residence to their home country. Due to the worsening security situation, deportation flights to the country are becoming more and more difficult. On Tuesday, Germany had to cancel a flight at short notice that Austria originally wanted to take part in.
