Seventeen interior ministers from the EU and Britain met in Munich on Saturday to discuss tighter border controls, faster emergency responses and expedited returns for some migrants. The talks followed the EU migration and asylum pact’s implementation in June.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called for a new European migration-crisis mechanism, citing divisions caused by an influx of migrants to Ceuta, the Spanish territory bordering Morocco. He proposed rules to identify border emergencies, a response mechanism and fast-tracked returns, and said he hoped the EU’s border and coast guard agency, Frontex, could help with returns.
EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said border protection was central to the reforms and said illegal migration had fallen 55% over two years and by a further third in the past year. The article also reports sharply lower asylum applications in recent months and fewer Mediterranean crossings, while saying migrant journeys have become deadlier than last year.
