The Commission will “reassess the needs” for border protection for the next multiannual budget, with the European People’s Party joining right-wing forces in calling for funding.
The European Commissioner for Home Affairs left the door open to the use of European funds to finance barriers at the Union’s external borders.
“Following the trends observed in recent years, it is clear that the overall needs in terms of border management must be reassessed as part of the preparation of the next multiannual financial framework”declared Austrian Magnus Brunner during an almost empty plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg this Thursday.
Magnus Brunner guaranteed that the Commission would take into account border management needs “in a global way”while ensuring that the measures taken are proportionate and respect fundamental rights.
Facing hybrid threats from Russia and Belarus
The debate took place in response to a call for action launched to the European Commission by several MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.
He asked the Commission to “recognize the reality on the ground at the EU’s external borders” and of “financially support barrier projects at the external borders of Member States through the EU budget”.
The Commission did not respond within the prescribed six-week deadline, triggering a debate in the European Parliament under the procedural rulesas Estonian MEP Jaak Madison, member of the ECR, who initiated the debate, explained to Euronews.
“Funding border fences is in our common interest, especially when we talk about defense issues, the fight against illegal immigration, human trafficking and terrorist threats”he says.
The ECR considers the construction of walls at EU borders as a means of countering “hybrid threats” from Russia and Belarus against Finland, Sweden, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.
“It is quite difficult, if not impossible, to counter Russia’s hybrid attacks without a physical border”says Jaak Madison, while the Russian and Belarusian authorities are accused to actively encourage and promote irregular crossings at EU borders.
A controversial question
The EU currently funds mobile and stationary units, border surveillance systems and equipment, through a scheme designed to provide financial support for border management and visa policy.
Magnus Brunner specifies that the Commission recently supported this initiative by granting 170 million additional euros to EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus.
However, the EU has never authorized the use of common funds to finance border protection structures such as walls, fences or other barriers.
Member States such as Poland, Hungary, Estonia and Latvia generally finance these structures themselves, but 12 countries made an official request to the Commission on this subject in 2021.
“I think the red lines change very often”says Jaak Madison. “Ursula von der Leyen is a great opportunist. She follows the public mood and how it evolves in European governments”.
He is convinced that if Friedrich Merz wins the next German chancellor elections for the center-right CDU party in Germany, he will adopt a tougher line on immigration than that which Germany is currently adopting in the Council of the EU, and will exercise “a huge influence on the EPP” in Brussels.
ADVERTISEMENTAn approach criticized by MEPs from the left and the center
The left-wing parties, however, are opposed to this ideabelieving that it will bring no benefit while endangering the human rights of migrants.
“It makes no sense. If you build a wall, another migration route will open. We have seen how sea patrol policies, for example, have moved people from one Mediterranean route to another : when you start blocking people in the central Mediterranean, the Atlantic route opens”Italian socialist MEP Cecilia Strada told Euronews.
The Greens/EFA and Left groups are of the same opinion, while the liberal Renew Europe group is divided on the issue.
“Statistics show that building walls is not useful and goes against our European DNA”declared French liberal MEP Fabienne Keller during the debate.
ADVERTISEMENTOn the other hand, his Lithuanian liberal counterpart Petras Auštrevičius pleaded for EU financing of the barriers in a “sense of solidarity” towards the Eastern EU countries.
“Countries bordering these aggressive states have exceeded their budgets to protect other member states”he told Euronews in Strasbourg.
The current multiannual financial framework allocates 6.7 billion eurosborder management and visa policy during the period 2021 to 2027.
