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.