Austrian proposal for military assistance in EU border protection "useful": Mogherini

The Austrian proposal to use military support to assist police in protecting the outer borders of the European Union (EU) has been said to be "useful" by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

The suggestions have been "useful" and could form the basis for more, said Mogherini on Thursday at a joint press conference with Austrian Defence Minister Mario Kunasek after the informal talks with EU defence ministers in Vienna.

She said all proposals that call for strengthened cooperation between civil and military bodies fall in line with the European approach, and are in her view "welcome".

Austria's suggestions, put forth in a paper prior to meeting, call for soldiers to be temporarily posted to the borders of the EU in order to assist police with border protection measures.

Criticism for the proposal, however, came from German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who argued that Germany has a very clear distinction in its constitution that means border protection is the responsibility of police, in this case EU border control authority Frontex.

She later clarified her comments to note that she was referring to issues Germany specifically would have with the proposal, but was herself supportive of effective EU border protection measures, as well as improvements to cooperation between the civil and military sectors.