EU must be ready for increase in migrants entering bloc, EU border agency chief says

"We can see from our risk analysis that all the factors that triggered this crisis are still in place and that things are not moving or not deescalating...We have to be ready to have to face this situation for a long time," he told Reuters in an interview. He added that, even though the EU border agency Frontex has not sent boots on the ground to support Poland amidst escalating tensions at its border with Belarus, it is discussing sharing additional satellite imagery and increasing air surveillance with the country.

The EU has to be prepared to face an increase of migrants entering the bloc, with the arrival of many from the Middle East through Belarus expected to continue for a long time, the Director of Frontex Fabrice Leggeri said on Friday. "We can see from our risk analysis that all the factors that triggered this crisis are still in place and that things are not moving or not deescalating...We have to be ready to have to face this situation for a long time," he told Reuters in an interview.

He added that, even though the EU border agency Frontex has not sent boots on the ground to support Poland amidst escalating tensions at its border with Belarus, it is discussing sharing additional satellite imagery and increasing air surveillance with the country. It also plans to help Poland return migrants to their home countries, like Iraq.