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Sovereignty battle looms as EU unveils border guard scheme

Migrants sit below a banner outside a former Olympic indoor stadium in Faliro, southern Athens, on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. Hundreds of people have been temporary housed in the stadium after being removed last week from Greece's northern border with Macedonia, which only allows Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis through on their trek to wealthier European countries - rejecting others as economic migrants who do not merit refugee protection. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis )
Migrants sit below a banner outside a former Olympic indoor stadium in Faliro, southern Athens, on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. Hundreds of people have been temporary housed in the stadium after being removed last week from Greece's northern border with Macedonia, which only allows Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis through on their trek to wealthier European countries - rejecting others as economic migrants who do not merit refugee protection. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis )

By Associated Press 2 min read

BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Commission has unveiled a controversial plan for a European border guard agency that would deploy to member states overwhelmed by migrants – whether those nations want it or not.

The new agency would have a standing reserve force of at least 1,500 border guards that could be sent to EU border chokepoints within three days, rather than relying on time-consuming calls to nations for volunteers during emergencies.

“This is a safety net, which like all safety nets, we hope will never need to be used,” European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans told EU lawmakers on Tuesday.

The plan is contentious because it requires countries to surrender some of their sovereignty – something many have viscerally opposed so far – and it’s unclear whether the scheme will win enough backing among the bloc’s 28 members to pass. EU leaders will discuss it for the first time at a two-day summit beginning Thursday.

The proposal is just the start of a potentially long and divisive legislative process. Still, the EU has planned a 2016 budget for the agency of 238 million euros ($260 million).