EU to support Member States to counter weaponisation of migration by Russia and Belarus

On 11 December, the European Commission decided to provide an additional €170 million to the EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus to strengthen the EU frontline and tackle the weaponisation of migration.

“Russia and Belarus take advantage of people, using human beings in an act of hostility, disregarding their vulnerability,” says a press release by the European Commission. “They use this hybrid warfare as a political tool to destabilise our societies, to undermine the unity of the EU and to jeopardise the safety and integrity of the Schengen area and the security of the Union as a whole.”

“Especially countries bordering Russia and Belarus, such as Finland with its 1.340-kilometre-long border with Russia, are facing the heavy challenge to guarantee the security of the Union and territorial integrity of Member States,” President von der Leyen said. “Autocrats must never be allowed to use our European values against us.”

The new funding will allow Finland, Norway, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to upgrade their electronic surveillance equipment, improve telecommunication networks, deploy mobile detection equipment and counter drone intrusion.

According to the European Commission, in 2024, irregular arrivals at the EU-Belarusian border, especially the Polish-Belarusian border, increased significantly by 66 per cent, compared to 2023. Ninety per cent of migrants illegally crossing the Polish-Belarusian border have a Russian student or tourist visa.

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Press release