New migrant tragedy at sea changes little as EU leaders forge ahead with tougher borders plans

Brussels, June 28 /BNA/: With rescue efforts in the Mediterranean announced last week, and bodies found more frequently than survivors among the more than 500 people missing after the sinking of a densely populated fishing trawler, the European Commission president has been asked that. ideas.

“It is appalling, and the most urgent thing is that we act,” Ursula von der Leyen told reporters at the headquarters of the European Union’s executive branch in Brussels.

She said priorities should be to help the authorities in Tunisia – from where people heading for Europe sometimes depart – to stabilize its economy and better manage migration, and to finish a long-awaited overhaul of the EU’s asylum rules, which is unlikely. It will happen before next year, reports the Associated Press.

At a summit starting Thursday, EU leaders will discuss von der Leyen’s plans. As countries such as Austria, Hungary and Poland block any serious attempt at a fair sharing of refugees arriving in Greece, Italy, Malta or Spain, the work is hypothetically focused on preventing migrants from entering.

More than 50,300 attempts were made to enter the European Union without a permit from January to May, according to border and coast guard agency Frontex. It’s more than double the number for the same period last year, and the largest since 2017.

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