Measure comes after problems with the new European Union Entry/Exit System
The European Commission announced this Thursday that it had mobilized 25 Frontex agents and around eight million euros in infrastructure to support Portugal in border management, following problems encountered with the new EU Entry/Exit System.
“With regard to Frontex [Agência Europeia da Guarda de Fronteiras e Costeira]it has around 25 agents in Portugal, as well as document specialists who help Portuguese authorities in applying the rules. There is also funding available and I think that, in total, Portugal has around seven to eight million euros for this purpose, mainly for infrastructure”, said the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner.
The European responsible for supervision highlighted that “Portugal is doing everything to make the system work”, in statements to the Lusa agency at the start of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, in Luxembourg.
Two weeks after the European Commission denied Lusa a link between queues at airports in Portugal and the European Union’s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) system and the Government spoke of a European problem and not just a Portuguese one, Magnus Brunner highlighted that, “in the meantime, Portugal did an excellent job of preparation”.
“We increased human resources, reinforced teams, improved IT systems and invested in their development and we are there to provide support. We have Frontex agents and Frontex specialists on the ground supporting Portugal”, he said.
