EU Border Guard: rapid reaction force for migrant crisis

A new European Border and Coast Guard Agency, approved by a European Parliament committee and now in trilogue talks between the European Parliament, Council and Commission, is to begin its work by autumn. The EPP Group’s Artis Pabriks, a Latvian MEP and former Foreign and Defence Minister, says the rapid reaction force can assist national border police in protecting the EU’s external borders and preserve the Schengen open internal borders. The Agency will have the power to intervene if a Member State is unable or unwilling to deal with sudden inflows of migrants or criminal activity.