The EU Commission President wants to further intensify European cooperation in dealing with migration. She expressly praises the cooperation with countries in the Western Balkans, for example.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) wants to sign further agreements with partner countries to control immigration. You have to “work more closely with the countries of origin and the transit countries,” she emphasized on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) in Bayreuth. Von der Leyen did not say which countries could also be considered for comparable agreements.
In this context, von der Leyen also praised the cooperation between the EU Commission and the countries of the Western Balkans. This has made it possible to reduce unauthorized entry into European territory by around 25 percent in the last six months. In recent years, many refugees from North Africa have chosen the route to Europe via the Balkans in order to avoid the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea.
Stabilization of the economy in view
“On the other hand, irregular migration in the Mediterranean region has increased significantly,” stressed the President of the Commission. “We have to invest more in stabilizing their economy and, together with them, fight the organized crime of smugglers and traffickers more consistently,” she emphasized.
After signing an agreement with Tunisia in mid-July, von der Leyen was optimistic that the new European asylum and migration pact could still be passed in the current legislative period. Söder also described the agreement as exemplary and saw it as the right step to permanently reduce the number of immigrants in Europe.
The EU Commission wants to expand its cooperation with Tunisia on migration policy so that fewer smuggler boats come from the North African country to Italy. In return, financial aid of up to 900 million euros is to flow to the economically ailing country in North Africa.
Source: Stern
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