New EU rapid-response force proposed to address migrant influxes

Wiktor Nummelin/TT

 

Published 12:45

  

Newly arrived migrants in Ceuta in late July of this year, when tens of thousands arrived in the Spanish enclave over a short period. File photo. Photo: Antonio Sempere/AP/TT

A new rapid-response force is being proposed to address sudden influxes of migrants, such as the one that occurred in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this past summer.

"Europe decides who comes to our Union and how," says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a press release regarding Tuesday’s proposal.

The proposal includes expanding the border agency Frontex to a strength of up to 30,000 personnel, partly through the creation of a common European "reserve." Frontex will also establish a dedicated coordination center for returns, aimed at expediting the repatriation of individuals who do not have the right to remain in the EU.

To prevent incidents like the one in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta—where tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers arrived within a short span of time in late July—the proposal calls for a specialized monitoring center and a rapid-response force to be deployed during similar crises.