EU Leaders Weigh Controversial Plan for Pan-European Border Guard

Strategic Insights -

European Union leaders are weighing a proposal for a pan-European border guard force, which would allow countries to cede some control over their borders to Brussels, amid the worst migration crisis since World War II. However, analysts speculate that frontline nations will resist the proposal, and a more modest plan, coordinating national coast guards with EU financial support, is likely to be implemented instead. The European Commission's plan, set to be debated next week, aims to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers throughout the bloc and establish reception centers in Greece and Italy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The European Commission's proposal for a European System of Border Guards is set to be debated next week by EU home affairs ministers.
  • The plan aims to develop a fully operational European border and coast guard system led by Frontex, the Warsaw-based EU border protection agency.
  • Frontex has already tripled its resources for the Triton operation off southern Italy as a response to mass migrant drowning.
  • Analysts doubt that frontline nations will cede sovereign border control rights to other European Union states, and a more modest plan is likely to be implemented instead.
  • The European Union leaders are prioritizing a coordinated solution to the migration crisis, which has resulted in more than half a million people entering the bloc this year, largely sparked by the war in Syria.
  • The proposal has sparked concerns that a big border guard scheme may be redundant, as smugglers know how to outfox many border measures.
  • Alain Cadec, a French member of the European parliament, has been pushing for a pan-European coast guard since 2010, but was initially met with skepticism.
  • The European Commission's plan is part of a broader drive to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers throughout the bloc and establish reception centers in Greece and Italy.

Statistics:

  • Over 500,000 people have entered the European bloc this year, largely sparked by the war in Syria.
  • Frontex has tripled its resources for the Triton operation off southern Italy in response to mass migrant drowning.
  • The European Union has 44,000 kilometers (27,000 miles) of coastline to patrol.
  • 160,000 asylum seekers are slated to be relocated throughout the bloc under the European Commission's plan.

Sources:

  • AFP
  • Carnegie Europe
  • European Parliament
  • Iran Cultural & Press Institute
  • European Strategic Intelligence Company
  • SyndiGate Media Inc.
  • European Commission
  • Frontex (EU border protection agency)
  • Donald Tusk, European Council President
  • Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission chief
  • Alain Cadec, French member of the European parliament