Plenkovic: Frontex should help neighbours, strengthen Bulgaria, Greece borders

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Salzburg on Thursday it was important to Croatia that stronger European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) forces be deployed to its neighbours to help their police forces and to the European Union's first external borders, i.e. Bulgaria and Greece.

He was speaking to the press ahead of an informal summit of the EU's 28 leaders focusing on migration and Brexit.

"We are putting the accent on cooperation with our neighbours. When it comes to Frontex' engagement, we want these potential forces to act as back-up to the border police forces of our neighbours, with an agreement on their status. That means that they should strengthen the EU's first external border in Bulgaria and Greece, then the borders of the countries between Croatia, Bulgaria and Greece in order to prevent migration pressure on Croatia," Plenkovic said upon arriving at the summit.

He said Croatia had the longest external border in the EU, of 1,351 kilometres. "Everyone sees the positive role and responsibility of Croatia which, with 6,500 police officers, is guarding its border and preventing illegal migration."

Plenkovic said that during last night's working dinner plenty of EU leaders said neighbouring countries in Southeast Europe should gradually align their visa systems with the European system in order to prevent the arrival of illegal migrants directly by plane and without return tickets.

He said the migrant crisis which culminated in 2015 had political consequences on events at national and European levels like no event before. "That's why this topic is of crucial importance for the EU. We are working on a solution, budget measures, a comprehensive approach, solving the crisis at the source, (on) the development policy."

Speaking of Brexit, Plenkovic said it was better to reach any deal than have a no-deal separation. Croatia has no outstanding issues after the UK lifted employment restrictions on Croatian citizens in the spring, giving them the same status as the citizens of all other member states, he added.

Text: Hina

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