EU leaders call for tougher migration controls amid border surge

After about four hours of debate, the presidents and prime ministers of the European Union countries have agreed that the European bloc should strengthen the protection of its external borders, especially in response to the actions of the Belarusian regime. However, leaders remained divided over the EU’s eastern wing demand that the union jointly fund the construction of border fences. On the other hand, they supported the accelerated preparation of further sanctions against Belarusian officials and companies.

The heads of the EU states talked about migration especially in connection with the strategy of the Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who has people trying to bring people from Asian countries to Europe to the borders of Poland or the Baltic states.

“The people exploited by Lukashenko are victims … We will continue to put pressure on the Lukashenko regime,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, after talks with leaders. The summit called on the EU executive to urgently prepare further sanctions, which, according to most countries, should apply in particular to the airline Belavia, which organizes migrant transfers.

As early as June, the EU banned Belarusian airlines from entering its airspace as part of the largest package of sanctions against the Lukashenko regime to date. It then recommended airlines from EU countries not to use Belarusian airspace.

A number of politicians from the Baltic countries, Poland and other countries in the region have demanded that the joint conclusions include a reference to the joint financing of the construction of border barriers. However, Luxembourg and some other Western European countries have insisted that the EU must respect international law and allow people to seek asylum. Therefore, only a general call for the preparation and funding of concrete measures, which will allow an “immediate and appropriate EU response”, came to the conclusion.