The European Commission said on Wednesday that EU countries could suspend asylum under certain circumstances if a major security threat is identified.
The suspension must be “truly exceptional, temporary, proportionate and for clearly defined cases,” European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said at a news conference in Brussels.
The commission announced a broader strategy to strengthen the bloc’s external borders against Russia and Belarus’ manipulation of migrants seeking asylum in the European Union.
The EU has long tasked autocratic countries with ferrying migrants from Africa and the Middle East to the EU’s external borders to overwhelm the bloc’s asylum systems and destabilize security.
Countries bordering Russia, especially Finland, face major challenges, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
“Autocrats should never use our European values against us,” she added.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner said Russia’s manipulation and “weaponization of migration” needs a strong response from the bloc.
According to the commission, irregular arrivals at the EU-Belarus border – especially in Poland – have increased by 66% compared to 2023.
Poland announced in October that it planned to temporarily suspend the right to asylum at the border with Belarus in response to migrants being smuggled into the EU through Minsk and Moscow, sparking a debate in Brussels on the legality of such a step.
The commission also announced €170 million in EU budget funding for drones, cameras and other surveillance equipment for EU countries to strengthen their borders with Russia and Belarus.
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and non-EU Norway will benefit from the new funding.
