EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has accussed Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko of trying to 'destabilize the EU' by letting migrants cross into Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
An EU report assessing whether Western Balkan countries continue to meet requirements for visa liberalization showed that despite a drop in illegal crossings, improvement is needed in migration management.
European Union officials have pledged millions of euros to help member state Lithuania tackle an ongoing spike in migrant arrivals. Lithuanian officials blame the spike on the government of neighboring Belarus and its authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko.
A top EU commissioner is visiting Tunisia in the hope of striking a deal to reduce migrant sea-crossings. The EU also wants to move migrants from Italy to other member states.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters that the more than 8,000 arrivals in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta were a "huge crisis for Spain and the whole of Europe." Members of the European Commission too have called the arrivals "worrying," and called for stronger partnerships to manage migration.
After more than 2,000 migrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa over the weekend, various EU member states have reacted to the situation. Italy is calling once again for EU solidarity, but how would it be enacted and which member states will come forward to help?
The EU home affairs commissioner said Turkey should stick to a 2016 deal that would see Ankara take back failed asylum seekers from Greek islands. EU officials are set to travel to Turkey for talks next week.
During her current visit to Bosnia, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson urged the non-EU country to further improve living conditions for thousands of migrants stuck there on their way to western Europe.
The situation on the migration route to the Canary Islands is extremely serious, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said Tuesday in a debate in the EU parliament. She said the bloc needed to work with external partners to protect human lives and fight against traffickers.