On 20 September 2024, several Members of the European Parliament from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group submitted a call to action to the European Commission. It asked the Commission to "immediately enable funding to maintain and enhance existing external border barriers and to erect new external border barriers on land and at sea." The Commission was not able to answer within a prescribed time limit of six weeks, triggering a debate in the European Parliament.

The above-mentioned debate took place in the European Parliament on 23 January 2025. Mr Brunner underlined that the Commission granted a further €170 million to EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus to finance mobile and stationary units, border surveillance systems, and equipment. However, the EU has never permitted the use of common funds to pay for border protection structures such as walls, fences, or other barriers. 

Mr Brunner declared: “Following the trends observed in the last years, it is clear that the overall needs for border management must be reassessed as part of the preparation also of the next multiannual financial framework.” The current Multiannual Financial Framework allocates € 6.7 billion for border management and visa policy within the 2021 to 2027 period. He added that “the views of the European Parliament are incredibly important” in the reassessment process. 

For further information, please read this press release from Euronews.