Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has urged the European Union to bolster external border protection to tackle irregular migration.

The Chancellor has spoken out ahead of the European Union Council summit declaration on migration and plans to outline a detailed approach in regard to migratory routes.

Taking into account the large number of illegal arrivals into the country, the Chancellor stated he wouldn’t support the summit in case leaders don’t reach an agreement on ways to stop the ‘migration crisis’.

“A clear and unequivocal commitment to strengthening external border protection and the use of appropriate financial resources from the EU budget is needed,” Nehammer said.

In addition, the Chancellor has requested the EU construct a fence between Bulgaria and Turkey in order to stop all irregular migrants who enter Bulgaria from Turkey to then moving on elsewhere, Schengen Visa Info reports.

According to statistics from the EU’s Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, there was a steep rise in the number of irregular border crossings last year, close to figures registered in 2016.

Due to the around 333,000 irregular border crossings at external borders of the EU, Austria and seven other European Union countries, namely Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Latvia, and Slovakia have urged the EU Commission to look at new ways to deal with illegal migration.

A letter has been sent to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel from the prime ministers of the eight countries, encouraging the EU to take additional measures.

They also requested all EU member states to align visa policies and implement campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of irregular migration.