The European Commission will invest more in monitoring the EU's borders with Russia and Belarus, reports "Reuters", reports News.bg
According to the Commission, Russia is accused of using migration as part of “hybrid warfare” against the European Union, allegedly encouraging migrants to cross the border.
In response to the situation, Hena Virkunen, the Commission's new executive vice-president responsible for security, said: “Russia's use of migration as a weapon is a new tool in hybrid warfare against the EU. We must not allow any hostile state to abuse European values, including the right to asylum.“
Financial support for vulnerable countries
In response to the threats, some countries such as Poland and Finland will receive additional EU funds of 170 million euros. The funds will be used to “upgrade electronic surveillance equipment, improve telecommunications networks, deploy mobile detection equipment and counter drone intrusions”. As Hena Virkunen emphasized, the situation at Europe's borders is “very serious” and efforts to strengthen border control are of utmost importance.
Belarusian influence on migration
Poland has also expressed concern about the behavior of Belarus, which is considered a major intermediary in the trafficking of migrants to Europe. According to Polish authorities, Belarus offers migrants an unofficial route to the EU, but these accusations have been rejected by Minsk. In this regard, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated: “Finland, Poland, Norway and the Baltic countries bravely guard our borders against threats in any form coming from Russia and Belarus.“