Austrian Chancellor Kurz said before the summit that the number of immigrants coming to Europe had dropped by 95 percent compared to October 2015. So, if less and less immigrants come to Europe, the funds should be invested elsewhere, Babiš said. He suggested focusing on cooperation with North African countries, which could stop the migrant flows.
Babiš claims he convinced other leaders, namely the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Bojko Borisov and Italy, Giuseppe Conte, to discuss Frontex’s budget further. Babiš appreciated that both leaders declared they have capacities they can use to tackle migration from North African countries. Or in other words, both Bulgaria and Italy are capable of protecting the EU external border on their own and don’t need additional Frontex staff.
Czechia to receive vaccines from Austria and Slovenia after refusing EU’s plan
There is no solidarity behind closed doors, says Babiš
Austria, Czechia and other nations want EU summit on ‘unfair’ allocation of vaccines
Some nations are getting more vaccines than their share of the population would dictate
PM Babiš praises PM Orbán for ‘great advice’ on tackling the COVID-19 crisis
Babiš regrets not asking Hungary for help sooner
Four EU countries, including Czechia, want faster vaccine approval process
The group consits of Czechia, Greece, Denmark and Austria
PM Babiš participated in a meeting of “Smart first-movers”
The group shared experiences on the epidemic
Central Europeans use Easter lockdown for spiritual recharge
Central Europeans celebrate Easter during an unprecedented time
Austria rejects migrant quotas, backs Hungary, Czechia and Poland’s strict asylum policies
The country is not accepting any more asylum seekers
Babiš: I can think of a dozen better ways to spend EU money than on Frontex
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš summarized the past week on his Facebook page, not forgetting to mention his visit to the Frontex agency headquarters.
Babiš and Morawiecki are on the same page before EU summit
Czech PM Andrej Babiš and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki share skepticism over an enlargement of Frontex and its budget increase. During Babiš’s visit to Warsaw, they agreed on issues relating to migration as well as other topics expected at the upcoming summit.
Babis opposed to raising Frontex budget
Speaking at the Committee on European Affairs meeting, the Czech PM said there is no reason to increase Frontex´s staff from 1,500 to 10,000 as planned. Member States should ensure the protection of the external borders themselves.
Babiš and Pellegrini demand a proper discussion on Frontex
The EU has to clearly identify what the extra manpower of the Frontex agency will be for, said Andrej Babiš prior to an informal EU summit in Salzburg.
Babiš praised V4 cooperation and called Frontex useless
Visegrad cooperation is flawless, we are acting as a block that represents 65 million people, said PM Babiš during a meeting between the Czech and Slovak governments.