EU to Create New Office to Return Undocumented Migrants - Commissioner

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship said that European Union will launch a return office for undocumented migrants arriving in the EU countries within the framework of the European Border and Coast Guard.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – The European Union will launch a return office for undocumented migrants arriving in the EU countries within the framework of the European Border and Coast Guard, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said Saturday.

"Furthermore, a European Return Office will be established within the new European Border and Coast Guard," Avramopoulos said at the press conference after "Migration along the Balkan Route" summit in Vienna.

Additional funding was allocated to Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia to prevent irregular migration, which "puts lives in danger," the commissioner added.

On Saturday, Vienna hosts the migration summit of EU leaders of the Balkan route states, including Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania and Hungary.

Europe is struggling to find a solution to a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa. EU border agency Frontex detected over 1.83 million illegal border crossings in 2015, in contrast to some 283,000 in 2014.