Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, called for a set of measures to address illegal immigration in a letter to the leaders of European countries. This letter was sent ahead of the European Union summit in Brussels and addresses recent immigration crises.
Proposed Measures
In the letter, von der Leyen requested the establishment of an emergency response framework for when immigration becomes a political tool. She also called for increased powers for the EU border agency, Frontex, and a rise in the rate of deportations of migrants. These requests were made following the immigration crisis in the autonomous region of Ceuta in Spain, where around 70,000 migrants arrived from Morocco this summer.
Protecting External Borders
In her letter, von der Leyen emphasized the need to prevent immigration-related threats and made it clear that no country or non-state actor should be able to exploit EU laws or values to destabilize the Union. She called for decisive action to protect Europe's external borders.
This letter was sent to all 27 leaders of EU member states and is set to be discussed on Friday, the second day of the European Council summit, regarding immigration. Recent immigration crises have put significant pressure on EU member states and will be a hot topic for negotiations at this summit.
