REUTERS
The European Union plans to hammer out proposals on the establishment of a common European system of border guards by the end of the year, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos told in an interview to the Die Welt newspaper, Deutsche Welle's Ukrainian news service reported.
The new system is designed to ensure the protection of the EU's external borders with the help of multinational border forces, the report said.
Avramopoulos noted that strengthening the protection of the external borders does not in any way mean a Fortress Europe.
The goal is to protect the external borders of the EU by introducing multi-national European border guards at border control stations. He also added that this would contribute to a considerable financial and personnel consolidation of the EU Frontex border agency [the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the EU Member States].
According to Avramopoulos, rapid border intervention teams will soon be deployed along the borders.
The European Commissioner said he hopes that the next meeting of EU interior ministers on Tuesday will see a breakthrough, and an agreement will be reached on a refugee relocation plan in the EU member states. At this, Avramopoulos said no pressure would be exerted on those countries which oppose EU mandatory quotas for the relocation of migrants.