A dozen member states like Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia and Slovak Republic he wrote to Brussels asking to finance "as a priority" and "adequately" the physical barriers at the borders, defined as "an effective protection measure in the interest of the entire EU" and the functioning of the Schengen area.
After the inflows from Belarus have joined in raising the walls on the borders too Lithuania e Poland, but various EU countries can already boast barbed wire barriers, since the great migratory crisis of 2015-2016.
The Commissioner for Internal Affairs ylva johansson by the EU Council in Luxembourg, while accepting the idea of Fortress Europe, it rejected any hypothesis of community funding. "There are already many other projects on the table ", he cut it short.
The initiative, on the other hand, found the support of the Slovenian presidency of the EU Council, and in Italy it was immediately followed by Matthew Salvini: “If as many as 12 European countries with governments of all colors are asking to block illegal immigration, by any means necessary, so be it. What does Italy say? ”.
Italy, on the other hand, prefers the way of soliciting Brussels on partnerships with third countries, in a letter together with the other members of the Med5 group (Spain, Malta, Greece, and Cyprus).
They serve "further efforts in collaboration with countries of origin and transit on issues of common interest", With"tangible progress in funding" it's a "Greater concreteness and certainty on the path" in a short time, "Days or weeks", wrote i Countries of the Mediterranean belt, also rejecting the hypothesis of unpacking the negotiation on the Pact for asylum, as proposed by the current presidency, more attentive to the aspects of security than to those of solidarity.
"The European Union must make up for the delay accumulated up to now, developing, quickly and with concrete actions, the commitments undertaken on the front of strategic partnerships with the main countries of North Africa, starting with Libya and Tunisia", insisted the Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgese, immediately reassured, or at least partially, by Johansson.
"The action plans are almost all ready", explained the Swede, admitting however that the "Community funds are limited ". "We cannot spend more money than what has been allocated by the member states", warned the commissioner, in recent days divided between the attempts to obtain more commitments from the 27 for the resettlement of Afghan refugees at risk and the news of violent rejection of refugees on the borders of Greece and Croatia.
“The reports published on what is happening are shocking - Johansson clarified -. An investigation is needed, but what has been reported seems to indicate some kind of orchestration of violence at the external borders, and there seems to be convincing evidence of an improper use of European funds, which must be investigated ”. Complaints about which Brussels now wants to see clearly: the "reputation of Europe" is at stake.