Munich, Germany, March 10 (CTK correspondent) – The European Union (EU) must find a joint solution to the migrant crisis, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer agreed yesterday.
They also said the protection of the EU outer border must be secured and that the refugees’ flow must be stopped on the Turkish-Greek border.
Besides, both heads of government talked about the improvement of the transport infrastructure.
Sobotka also said no European country can deal with the refugee crisis alone and that he expected the EU summit to be held next week to find a joint solution. However,it must be implemented quickly, he added.
Seehofer said he was convinced that all EU countries would express solidarity in connection with the migrant crisis at the summit.
He also said it would be easier to return refugees directly from Greece to Turkey than to redistribute them among the EU countries first and then assess whether they had the right to asylum.
The refugee crisis is manageable at present with some 500 refugees entering Germany a day, Seehofer noted.
Bavaria bears a major part of the burden since most refugees enter Germany through Bavaria, he added.
Sobotka and Seehofer also talked about the railway connection between both countries.
The Czech Republic is investing in the modernisation of the railway line between Prague and Plzen intensively and wants to upgrade the line from Plzen through Domazlice, both west Bohemia, to the state border as of 2020, Sobotka said, adding he hopes Bavaria would also improve its railway section to Munich.
Seehofer said he would like to have the transport connection included in the German federal plan of communications development that would be reviewed this year.
He called the connection between the Czech Republic and Bavaria a priority.
The Czech Republic would also like to intensify its cooperation with Bavaria in applied research. The main possible cooperation fields are the digital economy, the automotive industry, aviation and precision engineering, he added.
Sobotka was originally to visit Munich last June, but the trip was cancelled at the last moment at the German request due to the tackling of the Greek debt crisis.
