The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, called for a meeting with the EU Ambassadors of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia on the evening of Wednesday 13 October, after receiving new information on the situation of migrants at the border between these countries and Belarus.
Migrants, including “children”, who are trapped and forced to survive in the forest, she said on Twitter.
The Commission said on Thursday 14 October that the principle of such a meeting was raised on 13 October during a lunch of the Commissioner with Member States’ Ambassadors, but the date was still to be determined, according to spokesman Adalbert Jahnz. This meeting was entrusted to the services of the Commissioner, who was travelling to Malta on 14 October. The Ambassadors of the three countries in any case were not available on Thursday, so the meeting could only take place next week, another source said. EU Ambassadors will potentially have a discussion on the subject on Friday 15 October at the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives.
The spokesman also indicated that the Commission had not received any confirmation from the Polish authorities that a Commission technical mission to the border with Belarus could take place. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)