"Not only did the European Union and European governments collectively fail to address the crisis, but their focus on policies of deterrence along with their chaotic response to the humanitarian needs of those who flee actively worsened the conditions of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children," Director of Operations for MSF Brice de le Vingne said in a report.
According to MSF, the recent EU policies have increased the demand for migrant smuggling networks and caused refugees to use more dangerous routes to reach the bloc, putting at risk their health and lives.
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.
The EU border agency Frontex detected 1.55 million illegal border crossings by refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa at the course of 2015.
