European Commission wants 10,000 border guards

http://bit.ly/2HRcUv7 | Some six years after Greece erected a 10km barb wired border fence along a stretch of the Evros river it shares with Turkey, the European Commission has announced plans to create a standing corps of 10,000 border guards.

On Wednesday (2 May), the EU executive proposed the idea as part of its aim to overhaul the EU budget for the years 2021-27.

The proposal reflects political priorities that were absent in 2012 when thousands of people had been crossing into Greece, some drowning in the Evros river, while others were lost in the tall reeds and marsh that span parts of the nature reserve and bird sanctuary.

Frontex, the EU border agency in Warsaw, had dispatched its very first rapid border deployment in an effort to stem the flows. Over time, fewer people opted for the land route, instead turning their sights onto the overcrowded Greek islands.

Earlier this year, in February, Frontex chief Fabrice Leggeri then announced the crossings from Turkey to Greece had dropped by 80 percent when compared to 2017.

"This eastern Mediterranean border is under control but of course there is still pressure," he had said.
Such discussions and fears are part of a broader trend throughout much of the EU when it comes to migration, border management, and security.

The Warsaw-based agency, also known as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, has since its first rapid deployment in the Evros region seen its budget balloon. It also now has a border force of some 1,500 guards on loan from EU states at its disposal, up from around 300 in 2015.