EU launches joint border guard at Bulgaria-Turkish border

Border police from Romania and Bulgaria stand in front of their vehicles during the official launch of the European Union's Border and Coast Guard Agency at a border crossing on the Bulgarian-Turkish border in Kapitan Andreevo, Bulgaria, October 6, 2016. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

KAPITAN ANDREEVO, Bulgaria (Reuters) - The European Union launched a joint border guard force on Thursday as it tries to prevent any repeat of an uncontrolled influx of migrants and refugees last year that has opened up gaping rifts between member states.

Overwhelmed by the arrival of some 1.3 million people in 2015, the EU has increasingly focussed on sealing its external borders. The new force is designed to deploy quickly and flexibly to any location on the bloc's frontiers.