EU border agency to "significantly" step up Lithuania help

The European Union’s border agency is pledging to “significantly” step up its support to Lithuania “due to the growing migratory pressure at Lithuania’s border with Belarus” that the Baltic nation is trying to contain

HELSINKI -- The European Union’s border agency is pledging to “significantly” step up its support to Lithuania in the coming days “due to the growing migratory pressure at Lithuania’s border with Belarus” that the Baltic nation is trying to contain. The decision by Frontex, the agency responsible for coordinating border control between EU member states and third countries, was announced late Saturday following a video call between Frontex’s Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. “Lithuania’s border is our common external border and Frontex stands ready to help where needed,” Leggeri said in a statement. “We are ready to strengthen our level of support and deploy more European standing corps officers and equipment” to Lithuania, an EU and NATO member of 2.8 million. Frontex's operation, which started earlier this month with the deployment of a dozen officers and patrol cars, will more than double next week, the agency said.