Sovereignty fears cloud EU debate over new border guard plan

Ireland is unlikely to participate in the new European Border and Coast Guard agency, Minister for European Affairs Dara Murphy indicated yesterday, as EU leaders gathered for the first day of a two-day summit dominated by the refugee crisis and Britain’s impending EU referendum.

As EU leaders pledged to speed up the implementation of measures already agreed to deal with the refugee crisis, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the status quo in relation to the refugee crisis “cannot continue”.

Almost 991,000 refugees and migrants have entered Europe by land and sea so far this year and the number is expected to reach 1 million in the coming days, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.

Designed to meet the new challenges and political realities faced by the EU, both as regards migration and internal security, the European Border and Coast Guard will be composed of a newly created European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the national authorities and coastguards responsible for border management.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she didn’t expect a decision during the Brussels meeting, but she hoped the leaders would edge closer to backing the border agency.

The most contentious proposal, unveiled by the EU’s executive Commission on Tuesday, involves the creation of a new border and coast guard agency with the power to step in when countries are unable or unwilling to police Europe’s external borders.

“Europe can not remain vulnerable when Schengen states are not able to effectively protect their borders”.

There are only two fully operational “hotspots” for screening of migrants arriving to Italy and Greece from 11 that are supposed to be set up.

The EU-staffed reception centers determine who among the new arrivals are eligible for admission as refugees and who should be deported as economic migrants.

“The protection of our external borders is not meant to scare off those who flee wars or persecution”, he said in the invitation.

But eastern European countries have been among the most reluctant to admit asylum seekers as they face a populist anti-migrant backlash.

In exchange, Turkey agreed to try to limit the numbers travelling to Europe and tackle human smugglers who profit from their desperate journeys.

Under pressure at home, Merkel is counting on Ankara to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of Syrians from Turkey into Greece and onward to Germany and other European Union countries.

Greece, which has been hit with the worst of the refugee crisis as well as the worst of the financial crisis in Europe, sought more cooperation with Turkey.

The agency will also work with countries neighbouring the European Union, such as Turkey, to better manage migration flows.

“The Council should rapidly examine the Commission proposals”, said the concluding statement released by the leaders, adding that each country needs to take its own position “under the Netherlands Presidency”, which runs from January to June.

Diplomats said Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi voiced discontent with criticism from Brussels over Rome’s difficulties in taking fingerprints from migrants who refuse to cooperate.