Greece Prioritises Construction of Evros Fence at Border With Türkiye – SchengenVisaInfo.com

The Greek authorities have said that the country is giving immediate priority to the construction of the Evros fence at the border with Türkiye.

Such an announcement from the authorities comes in response to the high numbers of illegal border crossings recorded in Greece and indicates that the country wants to keep all forms of movement under control, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to the Minister of Citizen Protection of Greece, Takis Theodorikakos, who said that immediate priority should be given to the construction of the fence, the security policy of Greece lies on two pillars – border protection and increased police presence.

Regarding the first pillar, Minister Theodorikakos revealed that Greece is expected to sign the construction of an additional 35 kilometres of the fence in the coming days so that the entire border between Greece and Türkiye is covered.

The same noted that the country is also planning to upgrade all of its electronic monitoring systems to make it easier for the authorities to keep track of all those who enter and leave the country through this border crossing point.

“The entire Greek-Turkish border will gradually be covered while all the electronic monitoring systems will be upgraded. This is a project whose cost has been foreseen by the Budget, but with actions of the Prime Minister, funding is also sought from the EU,” the statement of the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection reads.

Even though the fence does not yet cover the whole Greek-Turkish border, the authorities of Greece said that thanks to increased measures, the country was able to prevent 260,000 illegal migrants from entering the country in 2022.

Moreover, it has been disclosed that during the same year, the authorities arrested more than 1,490 people smugglers who tried to help migrants enter Greece illegally.

As for the second pillar, Minister Theodorikakos said due to increased measures, the country has been able to combat different forms of crime and secure more safety for all its citizens.

The construction of the additional 35 kilometres of the Evros fence is expected to be completed by the end of this year. However, taking into account its importance, the fence construction might be completed earlier.

Earlier in February, Minister Theodorikakos said that all legal conditions for the construction of the fence had been met. Additionally, he stressed that the extension of the fence is necessary as, according to him, the country is dealing with a hybrid threat.

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