File photo: CGTN

The European Union's proposed new migration rules will authorise tougher controls on the bloc's external borders with mandatory pre-screening of asylum seekers, EU Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas said on Wednesday.

"Currently, the only obligation is for a member state to take the fingerprints of someone who arrives irregularly and simply registers. Under the new pact all arrivals will be subject to a thorough security health and identity check," he said.