European Union weighs up tougher stance on immigration

FILE - A police border vehicle patrols along a border wall near the town of Feres, along the Evros River which forms the frontier between Greece and Turkey on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Greece prevented some 260,000 migrants from entering illegally in 2022 and arrested 1,500 traffickers, Greece's minister in charge of the security told ambassadors from other European Union countries plus Switzerland and the United Kingdom Saturday, Jan. 21,2023, as he guided them to a still expanding border wall in the country's northeast. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) Source: AP / Petros Giannakouris/AP

The European Union is considering a tougher stance on migration after the number of irregular arrivals rose to 330-thousand last year. But it could be difficult to reach a consensus among the bloc of 27 nations, with controversial ideas for border control raised by some European countries.

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