Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, was to meet in Lithuania on Monday to discuss enacting new measures to address the rising number of illicit border crossings along the bloc’s borders.
According to the European Commission, Johansson will meet Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in Vilnius in the morning.
She’ll be passing through the Padvarionys border crossing.
Over the last few months, Lithuanian authorities have observed a significant increase in illegal immigration from Belarus.
Earlier this week, about 200 people crossed the border in a single day, bringing the total number of migrants apprehended this year to 3,500, compared to 81 in the entire previous year.
The vast majority of them had submitted asylum applications.
Belarus, which shares a nearly 680-kilometer border with the country, has been accused of allowing migrants to pass its borders on purpose.
In response to sanctions imposed on his country, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has threatened the EU with letting individuals from war zones such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan to pass through.
Johansson intended to discuss the issue with Lithuanian MPs during her meeting with them.
Frontex, the EU’s border agency, has already dispatched extra border guards to the country in recent weeks, with more on the way.
Another option is for the EU to impose extra sanctions on Belarus.
Due to the continued persecution of civil society and nonviolent protests that erupted a year ago after disputed elections, tensions between the EU and Belarus were at an all-time high.
Lithuania was a strong supporter of the Belarusian democracy movement on the international stage.