KAPITAN ANDREEVO, Bulgaria, Muharram 05, 1438, October 06, 2016, SPA -- A new European border and coast guard force was officially launched Thursday at a checkpoint on the European Union's external border with Turkey in Bulgaria, AP reported. The new task force, launched at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing, was built from the border management agency Frontex because national coast guards were overwhelmed by the refugee emergency. "From now onwards, the external EU border of one member state is the external border of all member states both legally and operationally," said Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship. The service will have more than double Frontex's staff and new powers. EU countries will establish a pool of 1,500 guards and technical equipment to rapidly deploy to countries facing heavy migration flows. Liaison officers would be stationed in EU states with external borders to monitor movements. --SPA 15:34 LOCAL TIME 12:34 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w