Border Shooting Is No Solution, MEP Warns over Bulgaria Migrant Death

EU member states should be reminded that shooting at people crossing their respective borders cannot solve the migrant crisis, ALDE MEP Gérard Deprez has warned.

His comments follow an incident late on Thursday evening when a migrant of supposedly Afghan origin died from his wounds after a bullet shot as a warning by border police rebounded off a bridge and hit him in the back of the neck, according to an Interior Ministry version that is currently being looked into.

"Even the death of a single person is too much. It is obvious that in the EU nobody has the right to shoot at refugees, except if it is not an incident," Deprez told the Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday.

An investigation is underway into the events of Thursday evening which took place some 30km into Bulgarian territory.

Commenting on EU plans to boost cooperation with Turkey over the migrant crisis and help the country act more efficiently by allocating billions in aid and helping to set up a safe zone in Syria, Deprez said he hoped the measures agreed Thursday would take effect.

"It is normal for the [EU] to demand that refugees remain in the zones near conflict. This is the vocation of the nearest countries - to accept people. In present-day context, however, it all depends on the price Turkey will demand."

Deprez went on to warn that, while assistance on migrant issues was something Brussels was ready to do with regard to Ankara, visa facilitation and renewal of EU accession negotiations were more unlikely as "the current situation in Turkey raises fears among Europeans."