Agencies of the European Union

An operation by the Bulgarian authorities that led to the dismantling of an illegal workshop for counterfeiting of 100 euro banknotes has drawn praise from Europol.

There has been a dramatic reduction in the number of migrants and refugees illegally crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey into Europe, but authorities must not let down their guard as people smugglers can rapidly change routes, the head of NATO has cautioned.

The Association of Greek Border Control Guards has warned that the situation with the refugee hotspots in Greece has become unmanageable, in a press conference Tuesday. The union says it is unable to manage the problem, in spite of the special training to 4,700 new guards to specifically oversee the borders, which in reality are 2,300 after the transfer of many to other services.

Officers from the regional directorate of border police in Dragoman and Frontex officials detained 24 illegal immigrants near the Bulgarian-Serbian border.

The authorities also detained two Bulgarian citizens, one of them with a criminal record, who were transporting the migrants.

A Risk Analysis carried out by Frontex reveals that mass migration is allowing terrorists to sneak into EU.

Europeans spend at least EUR 24 B a year on illicit drugs, making the activity one of the main sources of cash for organised criminal groups in Europe, according to a new report.

The first group of immigrants are returning to Turkey, as it is provided by EU-Turkey agreement signed on refugee issue.

136 immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who were in Mytilene, boarded on two boats on Monday morning and have already arrived in Turkey, while 66 immigrants are expected to arrive at 11pm in Turkey’s shore from Chios .

Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil told Austrian newspaper ‘Osterreich’ that 3 military battalions were ready to deploy in the state of Tirol in light of the refugee crisis. His new statements come a day after he told news outlets Saturday that tighter military border controls were necessary on the borders of Greece, Italy and Bulgaria to stem immigration flows.

Austria's Defense Minister Hans-Peter Doskozil has said his country now stands ready to send military officers to protect its borders, amidst a possible surge in the number of migrants from the Middle East this spring.

As part of a set of measures to bolster border security, the country will also step up security at Brenner, a municipality lying next to the Austria-Italy border.

The German authorities, backed by Europol, have dismantled a German-based Iraqi criminal syndicate suspected of laundering money for international heroin traffickers.