VIENNA (Sputnik) – The European Union member states must aim to prevent undocumented migration to the bloc, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday.
"Our aim must be to stop the illegal migration as much as possible," Merkel said at the summit on migration along the Balkan route, as quoted by the APA news agency.
Europe is currently facing a major refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of migrants attempting to reach wealthy EU member states through various routes, including via Italy, Greece, Turkey and other Balkan states. Despite Brussels' efforts to curb the migration influx, many people still continue to attempt to reach the European Union.
In March, the Balkan route for migrants was effectively closed when Austria decided to limit the number of migrants crossing its border, which led to many Balkan states following suit and introducing their own temporary border controls.
