On 9 May, the European Union celebrates this year’s Europe Day. For the first time, Ukraine, which has obtained EU candidate status, also celebrates this day marking the founding act of the Union, the 1950 Schuman Declaration. For the occasion, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv.

While EU citizens have reason to celebrate the progress and benefits of European integration, these remain out of reach for the thousands of migrants who remain at the gates of "Fortress Europe". The conditions for the reception of migrants and granting of asylum are getting tougher, as are the construction of barriers and the repressive operations carried out by the border surveillance agency Frontex.


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