Von der Leyen: Package of 15 bln euros to help EU partners on migration, border protection

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said at a press briefing in Brussels on Tuesday that the Pylos shipwreck that claimed the lives of hundreds of migrants was “horrible”.

At the briefing and on social media, von der Leyen announced a 15-billion-euro package for the economic strengthening of European partners in migration and external border protection.

On the migration issue overall, she noted that the EU “must work more intensely with our neighborhood” to promote economic development and stability of the related countries where migrants originate from. She underlined the need to strengthen international cooperation as well, in view of what she called a need for an additional budget for Syrian refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, as well as for the southern European migration route, as “we have exhausted all flexibility in our EU budget to deal with crisis after crisis.”

This additional budget, she underlined, would also help EU partners to respond faster to humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

Sourse:amna.gr