Greek prime minister renews call for EU cash for
border fence
Athens argues Greece is making a contribution to
European security with its border barrier.
BY ANTONIA
ZIMMERMANN
APRIL 1,
2023 3:26 PM CET
Greek Prime
Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is asking the European Union for financial support
to extend his country’s anti-migrant steel fence along the border with Turkey.
“I think
it’s about time for the EU to seriously consider providing European funds for
these types of projects,” Mitsotakis told news agency AFP Friday on the
sidelines of a visit to the wall in northeastern Greece.
In a first
step, Athens plans to extend its fence — which runs along the Evros River along
the shared border with Turkey — by 35 kilometers, with the aim of adding a
total of 100 kilometers by 2026. It is currently five meters high and 37.5
kilometers long.
The
question of whether EU member countries’ border fences should be financed with
EU money is hugely controversial within the bloc.
EU leaders
in February pledged “significant” funds to bolster cameras and personnel at the
frontiers, but stopped short of directly funding wall-building — something a
host of countries, spearheaded by Austria, have been pushing for.
On the eve
of the February summit, a number of countries, including Greece, backed tougher
border measures in a letter. The missive echoed a similar letter from October
2021 that saw 12 member states asking the European Commission to let EU cash go
toward border barriers.
European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who opposes EU money to be channeled
into wall-building, stressed after the meeting that leaders had only agreed to
use EU money for infrastructure like cameras, watch towers and vehicles.
In January,
European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson argued there is no money in
the EU budget to finance such projects.
But
Greece’s Mitsotakis on Friday said that, with its border fence, Greece is
“contributing toward European security and we are also contributing towards a
more integrated and effective European asylum policy.”
Even
without EU funds, the fence extension, which is estimated to cost around €100
million, will go ahead, Mitsotakis said.
“What you
see here is an obstacle that the Greek government has built in order to protect
the borders of a country which also happens to be the external borders of the
European Union,” he said. “I’ve always been a firm believer that we cannot
reach a new agreement on migration and asylum unless we protect our external
borders.”
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