“We need more European cooperation on the issue of the borders” Avramopoulos said, while noting the reason behind the creation of a European border control agency as well as European coast guard is to further enforce control of Europe's outer borders with the aid of technology.
According to APE-MPE, the commissioner also stressed that the Schengen treaty should not be questioned as, he said, it includes “tools” which, when used wisely, provide solutions on the subject of the protection of Europe's outer borders. At the same time, he accepted that several aspects of the treaty need improvement or alteration. He did however stress that the Schengen treaty is the biggest achievement towards a European completion and questioning it makes the EU move backwards rather than forward.
When asked about the security of EU's borders in the Aegean sea, Mr.Avramopoulos said that there is absolutely no threat there. “No one can raise a fence in the Aegean” were the commissioners words.