French President Emmanuel Macron and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Monday promoted a policy to strengthen the external borders of the European Union ahead of an informal summit on immigration.
Macron welcomed Kurz to the Elysee Palace in the French capital for talks in which they were expected to lay groundwork ahead of the migration summit in the Austrian city of Salzburg on Wednesday, Efe news reported.
Macron said the EU could push for greater immigration control, more security on Europe’s external frontier through the border and Coast Guard agency Frontex and greater cooperation with countries of migrant origin, all the while respecting the core values of the bloc.
Kurz, a member of the conservative Austrian People’s Party in coalition with the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria, called for stricter immigration controls during his campaign.
His country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, which brings together the 28 national leaders of the bloc.
Kurz said Austria supported proposals to boost border control set out by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker in his final state of the union address last week.