Slovakia welcomes the establishment of the common European border patrols. According to Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, actions of such an institution would hardly work without the consent of the country whose borders would have to be protected. The Slovak minister said this at the foreign affairs EU Council summit in Brussels.
The European Commission is to present the project of a common European border unit replacing the current FRONTEX organisation. This unit should operate immediately in crisis situations in those member states that are not able to protect their outer EU borders effectively, even without approval of the particular country.
At the meeting in Brussels, Miroslav Lajčák expressed his belief for the need of certain ratio between coordination and the approval of the particular country. "The situation in Greece and its inability to protect the outer Schengen border show that in case a member country has problems to meet its duties, it should be helped by other countries. However, I cannot imagine that would be done even if the countries would oppose such a step," said the Slovak minister. As he added, Slovakia works as an example of the protection of the EU Schengen border, which includes the Slovak-Ukrainian portion. "Our country is a model. I know about a series of delegations applying for Schengen membership coming to study our eastern border," explained Miroslav Lajčák.
