03-12-2024 11:00
Hybrid attacks on EU borders by the regimes in Minsk and Moscow
On 2 December, LIBE Members discussed with representatives from the Hungarian Presidency of the Council and from the European Commission the ongoing hybrid attacks on EU borders by the Lukashenko and the Putin regimes. In recent years, Russia and Belarus have been deploying hybrid threats against the European Union, preying on the vulnerable and weaponising migration. This is a permanent strategy of Putin’s regime in the context of the cruel and unwarranted war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Hungarian Permanent Representative laid out the instruments at the EU's disposal to address the instrumentalisation of migration while upholding human rights, including the revised Schengen Borders Code and the Crisis and force majeure Regulation.
The Commission's Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs recalled that, according to Frontex data, irregular crossings at the EU's eastern land borders had increased by 195% in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 15,234. On the Poland-Belarus border specifically, there was a 66% rise, with 8,000 crossings recorded -90% of those crossing were in possession of Russian visas.
The European Commission assured LIBE Members that Commissioner Magnus Brunner, together with the HR/VP, would explore all possibilities to address this issue, in compliance with EU and international law.