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EU Must Have ‘Plan B’ in Handling Migrant Crisis – Czech Foreign Minister

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Europe should have a backup plan in addressing the migrant crisis, in case if it turns out impossible to reinforce the external protection of the border-less Schengen Area and stop the inflow of illegal migrants, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said Wednesday.

PRAGUE (Sputnik) — The minister said he believed that it was necessary to continue to press the sides to the conflict in Syria to reach an agreement, as well as Turkey and Greece to perform their obligations to limit the migrant flow to Europe.

"However, we must reckon with such possibilities as the countries not being able to fulfill their obligations… And so we must also consider a plan B," Zaoralek told reporters.

Migrants struggle to board a bus sent to pick them up on the closed highway A4 towards Vienna at the Austrian side of the border between Hungary and Austria on September 11, 2015 near Nickelsdorf, Austria - Sputnik International
Austrian Government to Reduce Migrant Intake to 30,000-40,000 Annually

One of the backup options, according to Zaoralek, would be establishing new external borders of the European Union.

So far, seven EU states, namely Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, France and Malta have applied strict border controls along the internal borders of the Schengen Area to curb the influx of undocumented immigrants.

A woman pauses on a bus provided by Hungarian authorities for migrants and refugees at Keleti train station in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015 - Sputnik International
Hungary May Turn to Bulgaria, Macedonia if Greece Keeps Borders Open

Europe is facing a major refugee crisis, as hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers from conflict-torn countries in North Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia attempt to escape poverty and violence in their home countries.

The EU border agency Frontex detected 1.55 million illegal border crossings during the course of 2015.

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