European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos walks by a metal fence at the "Moria" camp, near the port of Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos | DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images Avramopoulos slams dismal refugee response The migration chief scolds his party: “I was very much disappointed.”

MADRID — The European Commission's migration chief condemned on Wednesday the use of armed forces to secure Europe’s borders and launched a stinging attack on Europe’s national governments for failing to manage the refugee crisis.

“We do not have in front of us enemies … armed forces are not a solution, they give the wrong impression. We are not threatened by these people,” Dimitris Avramopoulos told delegates, including European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, at the European People’s Party annual congress.

“The Commission was not prepared,” for the scale of the crisis that emerged over the summer, Avramopoulos said. “We’ve tripled the budget and tripled the manpower. We need the member states to provide us with more experts, 700 of them. We need the support of member states.”

“The Commission has done its part,” said a frustrated Avramopoulos. “And I am grateful to the European Parliament, but now the member states must do their part.”

The commissioner had no kind words for the government ministers from his own party, sitting before him as he responded to questions from Elizabeth Collett, director of the independent Migration Policy Institute Europe. “I was very much disappointed. I want to be frank … it has been a trend towards re-nationalization.”

Also on the topic of migration, Kristalina Georgieva, the European budget commissioner, warned that “we are using (budget) flexibility to the maximum” towards operational actions for registering and processing refugees, then either integrating or returning people.

To free up further funds, Georgieva called for negative interest rates to be applied to EU and national financing for local governments to cope with the crisis.

Georgieva also said resources are being spent inefficiently because they are directed towards crisis management only. “Invest in prevention," she said. "Invest in root causes. One euro invested in prevention, is seven, 10, 20 saved, as well as less misery.”

EPP officials including party President Joseph Daul had to repeatedly interrupt speakers in the debate to ensure order as delegates talked loudly among themselves, and mobbed Juncker for selfie photos, as he stood in front of the podium chatting with party colleagues.

The EPP overwhelmingly adopted a migration resolution, proposed by Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, with only a number of Hungarian and Greek delegates voting against. Key elements of the policy include:

— Existing EU agreements to be fully implemented before “a complete reform of the European Asylum System in the long term.”

— “Refugees and economic migrants should be separated before their arrival in the EU.”

— Increased resources for the Frontex border agency

— ”Arab Gulf States” should “accommodate and accept refugees”

— Revision of the 2003 Family Reunification Directive because it “represents a pull factor” encouraging more migration when Europe is already overwhelmed.

Swedish delegates begged other European countries to do more. “Without your help we cannot cope. We can not do it alone,” said Ebba Busch-Thor, a Swedish party official.