“The fence on the Evros will be built along the entire length of the border” regardless of whether or not there will be European funding, as “it is our national choice that for our own immigration policy the fence is necessary“, underlined the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakisduring a press conference to Greek journalists, on the sidelines of the 2nd European Conference on Border Management.

Mr. Mitarakis observed that “the EU’s directions on this issue have changed for the better, as the European Commission already accepts that accompanying fence projects, such as technology issues, can be financed by the European Union and this means that part of the cost of a more comprehensive border protection program can be covered directly from the European budget».

He also stated that “Europe has taken many steps towards understanding that member states should have more freedom in how they protect their borders. I believe that fences are the least violent way of protecting EU territory and most flows into the EU come through safe third countries and this gives a very strong justification for the need for fencing».

About possible effects of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria on flows to EuropeMr. Mitarakis clarified that “at the moment we are not observing anything different on our borders than what we observed in the previous months” and underlined that “given the magnitude of the earthquake and the hundreds of thousands of people affected, relocation to Europe is not the answer. The solution will be to provide more aid from the EU and other organizations to ease the pressure the Turkish people are facing due to the earthquakes. It was a devastating event and we must all provide tangible support for the people of Turkey and Syria affected by the earthquakes».

Earlier statements were made by the representatives of the other organizing countries of the Conference. Agne Bilotaite, Minister of the Interior of Lithuania, reported that “a combination of border protection measures is needed: manpower, modern surveillance systems and physical barriers. All these measures require significant resources, so EU financial support for border protection infrastructure is crucial,” he added: “Changes to the EU’s legal framework for border management are also essential. European law must keep pace with reality”.

Regarding the Joint Declaration, the Minister of the Interior of Austria, Gerhard Karneremphasized that “it includes all the steps taken so far and we have set targets for the next steps to improve the systems, better help people in need and also tackle abuse of the systems».

In addition, Bartos Grodecki, Poland’s Deputy Minister of the Interior, reported that “we found a common approach, common solutions, we tried to send a message to the EU and to the member states to find a way on how to manage migration and how to find a holistic approach.” He described how “brutal is Russia’s attack on Ukraine“, as a special Polish mission that returned yesterday from Ukraine reported that they found explosives even in toys.

“I hope this war will end quickly and Russia will be tried and convicted by international courts“, he added.

Finally, in response to a journalist’s question about migration flows in Cyprus, Nikos Nouris, Minister of the Interior of Cyprus, spoke of “instrumentalization by Turkey of immigration to Cyprus, because 95% of illegal arrivals in the Republic of Cyprus come from the Green Line and most come by plane from Istanbul airport».

He expressed his gratitude to the other member states and the European Commission for mentioning in the Joint Declaration that all measures to be implemented at the EU’s external borders to prevent irregular migration include the Green Line, despite the fact that it does not is an external border.

The Joint Declaration

The representatives of 15 EU member states (Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic) co-signed the Joint Declaration issued after the completion of the 2 European Conference on Border Management, in Athens.

The Joint Declaration underlines the importance of effective control of the EU’s external borders with “legal, financial, operational and technical measures, as well as a comprehensive approach“, while in the case of Cyprus, it is pointed out that appropriate assistance and measures should be provided and applied to the Green Line, which, although it is not an external border, is the main point of entry for irregular migrants in the areas under the effective control of the government .

It is also emphasized that further efforts are needed to address the gaps in the existing EU legal framework, such as the rapid adoption of amendments to the Schengen Borders Code and the completion of work on the relevant legislative proposals with the aim of quickly ensuring the smooth functioning of the Schengen area .

It is noted that more effective border control implies “the need to strengthen operational capabilities, where possible with neighboring countries, as well as infrastructure (including mobile and fixed), means of surveillance (including pre-border aerial surveillance) and equipment.” The protection of the EU’s external borders could be further strengthened through common minimum standards for the surveillance of external borders.’

The Member States co-signing the Declaration call on the European Commission “to make available sufficient financial support to Member States on the front line at the external borders, including the Green Line in the case of Cyprus which is not an external border, for all types of border protection infrastructure, including physical barriers and other relevant reception costs, taking into account the needs expressed by Member States in the light of their border specificities, as well as their geopolitical and geographical specificities. Frontex support should also be increased and fully deployed in the most affected Member States.”

In addition, they ask the European Commission “to financially support Member States that bilaterally support other Member States and partner countries in their border management or return activities”.

They are committed to working for there to be “a common and sustainable EU migration system and a legal framework based on the right balance between solidarity and responsibility, according to the needs and preferences of Member States, and addressing irregular migration flows as well as secondary movements’ and call for the European Commission “to collectively use the concept of safe countries of origin and safe third countries».

Furthermore, they stress that the European Union must act collectively and in a coordinated manner to ensure the implementation of existing agreements and arrangements on returns and readmissions in close cooperation with the EU Returns Coordinator and, if necessary, conclude new ones. By closing the Joint Declaration, the co-signatory countries express the commitment “to offer protection to those in need. In this regard, we will continue to support the Ukrainian people fleeing the Russian Federation’s violent war of aggression against Ukraine».