Nehammer: The EU should Finance the Construction of a Fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish Border

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has publicly called on the EU to finance the construction of a 2 billion euro fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish border, where more and more migrants are crossing into the EU. The proposal was repeated by the Austrian permanent representative during the meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday.

The topic will be included in the agenda of the informal meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers starting today in Stockholm. It will be chaired by the Swedish Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer and the Minister of Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard, it is clear from the information published on the website of the Council of the EU. The other topics will be the fight against organized crime and Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The meeting will take place on January 26 and 27, with the first day devoted to internal affairs and the second to justice-related issues.

On January 26, migration ministers will consider return policy, including cooperation with third countries. They will also discuss how to ensure an effective whole-of-government approach to meeting migration challenges.

Home ministers, for their part, will exchange views on the need for access to data, electronic evidence and information for judicial and law enforcement purposes in the digital age.

On 27 January, justice ministers will exchange views on the role of Eurojust in supporting the coordination of investigations by national authorities, as well as on a new tool for the transfer of criminal proceedings.

Capitals are pushing for a tougher approach and more support from the EU to tackle the sharp increase in illegal migration, but some proposals will put Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a particularly difficult...