Border guards

“The most important element of the new European Border and Coast Guard Agency is that it goes beyond what Frontex was able to do, but that we do not replace member states’ responsibilities and definitely not their sovereignty,” European Commissioner for Migration and Internal Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos said in the European Parliament Plenary session on the European Border and Coast Guard.

The European Commission adopted on Tuesday new measures for managing the European Union's external borders more efficiently and preserving the security of the bloc's Schengen area of passport-free travel.

The European Commission is today adopting an important set of measures to manage the EU’s external borders and protect our Schengen area without internal borders. Today’s proposals will help to manage migration more effectively, improve the internal security of the European Union, and safeguard the principle of free movement of persons.

The number of migrants who arrived in Greece in November was significantly lower month-on-month, Frontex has announced.

This was the first such drop in a year, the EU border control agency said on Tuesday, noting that 108,000 migrants arrived in Greece in November - the number stood at 150,000 in October.

The European Union is considering a plan to form a permanent external border control force that could be deployed if it deems that a member state needs help to guard its frontiers even without the EU country’s consent.

The introduction of the new European Border and Coast Guard is expected to be announced officially by the European Commission on Tuesday.

“Europe is facing an unprecedented migratory crisis and Italy is at the frontline. But Italy cannot manage this alone. We have to work all together to develop and implement European solutions.” stated Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos at the Constitutional Affairs and European Affairs Committees of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate of the Italian Parliament

Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou confessed that the country is in danger of becoming a “storehouse” of refugees in response to a question by Union of Centrists leader Vasilis Levendis, though he maintained that this would not be allowed to happen.

Greece has activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to benefit from material support to help the country cope with the influx of refugees and asylum seekers at its borders, the European Commission said on Friday.

Greece has requested tents, generators, beds, sanitary equipment and emergency first aid kits.

Greece faces the possibility of being ousted from the Schengen zone as it is considered the “Achilles heel” of the area. For this reason, EU interior ministers are meeting on Friday to consider what to do about Greece’s inability to stem the flow of refugees and others streaming towards the EU.

The EU border agency Frontex said on Thursday that it will deploy additional guards at Greece's border with Macedonia where migrants have been stranded for more than a week now.

The deployment of additional officers, who will assist with registration of migrants, will begin next week, Frontex said in a statement.