BRUSSELS, May 2 (UPI) -- The European Commission will propose a plan to temporarily reintroduce border controls to help member nations deal with illegal immigrants, officials said.
The expected proposal in Brussels follows pleas made last week by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who asked for help in dealing with illegal immigrants, the Financial Times reported Monday.
The country most affected by the temporary reintroduction of passport controls is Greece, where the border with Turkey has become a popular crossing point for migrants, the report said.
The commission is expected to emphasize that reinstating border checks should be undertaken as a last resort, for a limited time and imposed only in critical situations.
The commission package, to be presented Wednesday, will also reinforce Frontex, the European Union's border agency, and will ask for greater cooperation between countries used as migration routes into Europe, officials said.
