The European Commission will announce next week a new operational strategy to improve the return of illegal migrants who arrived on the EU territory, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Ylva Johansson, announced on Thursday, according to the EFE agency, Agerpres informs.

European interior ministers will discuss this new strategy that will be presented at the informal meeting that will take place on January 26 and 27 in Stockholm, Ylva Johansson indicated at a joint press conference with the new executive director of the European border agency Frontex, Hans Leijtens.

The European Commissioner admitted that many of the migrants arriving in the EU „probably” do not have the right to ask for international protection, therefore they must be returned to their countries of origin. She did not give details about this plan, but appreciated that the Frontex agency „is now better equipped” and can play an important role in this chapter by assisting the member states in carrying out returns.

Ylva Johansson also said that, after the resignation of the former director of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, „a lot has been done to rebuild trust”, thus referring to the accusations against Frontex regarding the rejection of groups of migrants coming to Europe via the Aegean Sea and Mediteraneean Sea.

The new head of Frontex, the Dutchman Hans Leijtens, also promised to „restore trust”, meaning that the officers of the European agency will no longer resort to forced rejections of migrants.

„Border management and the fundamental rights of migrants go hand in hand”, indicated the new director of Frontex.

Agerpres