Greece is Europe’s Shield – Von Der Leyen extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs council
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The head of the European Commission has sent a strong message of support to Greece in its attempts to stop migrants crossing its border from Turkey. “Our first priority is to ensure order is maintained at the Greek external border, which is also a European border,” Ursula von der Leyen said.
She promised Greece, which she called a “European aspida [shield]”, €700m (£608m; $780m) in financial aid.
This border is not only a Greek border but it is also a European border. And I stand here today as a European at your side,” Ursula von der Leyen told the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“Turkey is not an enemy and people are not just means to reach a goal. We would all do well to remember both in the days to come. I thank Greece for being our European ‘aspida’,” the Commission president added, using the Greek word for “shield”.
Von der Leyen was speaking during a joint news conference also attended by the presidents of the European Council and European Parliament, Charles Michel and David Sassoli, as well as Andrej Plenkovic, prime minister of Croatia which currently holds the EU presidency.
Meanwhile, an extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council has been convened by the Croatian Presidency, amid escalation of the Idlib conflict and the on-going humanitarian crisis. The Council will be held in Brussels on Thursday, while two days later, Foreign Affairs Ministers will gather in Zagreb.
Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using the migrants as pawns. He also announced that his government had strengthened Austria’s borders to make sure the mass influx of refugees and migrants of 2015 was not repeated.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is due to visit Ankara to discuss Turkey’s decision to drop restrictions on migrants, abandoning a deal struck in 2016.
