The dramatic reinstatement of border checks on Sept.13 signalled a U-turn on Chancellor Angela Merkel's earlier decision to throw open the country's borders to Syrian refugees.
"The German decision of today underlines the urgency to agree on the measures proposed by the European Commission in order to manage the refugee crisis," the EU said on Sept.13.
A plan to distribute 160,000 refugees to relieve pressure on "frontline" states such as Italy, Greece and Hungary, faces strong resistance from countries including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.
Hungary, which is building a fence along its border and says it will arrest illegal migrants from this week, wants much stricter controls around the edges of the EU.
And Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has insisted his country would never accept compulsory quotas, saying the system "won't work", while Slovakia said it would try to block any such binding measures.
Germany's reintroduction of border controls threatens to undermine the so-called Schengen system, which allows passport-free travel among many nations in the bloc.
"The aim of this measure is to stop the current influx to Germany and to return to an orderly process," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Sept.13.
Migrants must understand "they cannot choose the states where they are seeking protection," he told reporters, as Germany also temporarily halted all train traffic to and from Austria.
Germany's actions were welcomed by Hungary's hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
"We understand that this decision was necessary in order to defend Germany's and Europe's values," he told Bild newspaper.
Hungary, which reported a record 4,330 newcomers on Sept.12 alone, is racing to finish a controversial anti-migrant fence on its frontier by Tuesday, when tough new laws will take effect.
For those already in Hungary, confusion reigned late Sunday over whether they would be able to enter Germany, the preferred destination of many of the migrants.
"I do not want to stay in Hungary," Yusuf, a Syrian in his twenties, told AFP at a refugee transit camp in the border town of Roszke.
"We thought that Germany was the only country that would treat us like human beings," 27-year-old Hatem Ali Ahaj told AFP, adding that he and his 16-year-old brother and their cousin had been walking through Europe for 22 days.
- The developments came as tragedy struck again off the coast of Greece, with 34 more migrants -- including four babies and 11 children -- drowning when their overcrowded wooden boat capsized in high winds.
Under EU rules, the first country of entry is required to deal with an asylum seeker's request for protection, but Germany had waived the rule for Syrian refugees.
While earning praise for its welcoming stance, German regional authorities have buckled under the sudden surge of migrants.
In Munich, overwhelmed local officials said they were stretched to capacity, with more than 13,000 people arriving in the city on Saturday alone.
Merkel, whose country expects to receive 800,000 asylum seekers this year, bluntly warned last month that the passport-free Schengen zone of 26 countries was under threat if the EU failed to work together on coping with the inflow.
"If we don't arrive at a fair distribution then the issue of Schengen will arise -- we don't want that," she said.
The International Organisation for Migration said on Sept.11 that more than 430,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year, with 2,748 dying en route or going missing.
The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meanwhile urged the United Nations on Sept.13 to consider a peacekeeping force for Syria to help stem the flow of people trying to reach Europe.
AFP
hurriyetdailynews.com
14/9/15
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EU member states approved Monday plans for military action against people smugglers in the Mediterranean, seizing and destroying boats to break up networks operating out of Libya, sources said....
ReplyDeleteThe European Union launched a first, intelligence gathering phase of its EU NavFor Med operation in July but now it will be allowed to stop and if necessary destroy boats which have carried thousands of migrants risking their lives to get to Europe.
"The conditions have been met" to launch the new military phase, one European diplomat told AFP.
The decision comes as EU interior ministers meet later Monday in Brussels to try and agree quotas for the redistribution of the massive flood of migrants fleeing war and upheaval across the Middle East and North Africa.
Many member states were reluctant to step up action against the traffickers for fear of getting embroiled in Libya where rival factions have been fighting it out for control since the ouster of longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
EU leaders agreed however that there had to be a much tougher response, including the use of force, after more than 700 migrants drowned off southern Italy in April....AFP......dailystar.com.lb
Slovakia boost border controls amid migrant crisis: Czech minister...
ReplyDeleteSlovakia is boosting border controls along frontiers with Austria and Hungary, its interior ministry said Monday, a day after EU neighbour the Czech Republic ramped up controls along its border with Austria.
"Following the announcement by Germany that it was temporarily introducing border controls at the borders with Austria, Slovakia has begun temporary border controls on border crossings with Hungary and Austria," Slovak interior ministry spokesperson Michaela Paulenova said in a statement.
"In connection with the emergency situation and the migratory flow, Slovak police strengthened its presence on the borders by 220 officers compared to standard operations," she said, adding that controls were also being ramped up on "the green border (forests and rural areas) at selected locations."
"The situation is constantly monitored and coordinated with police forces in Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic."
Unlike EU neighbours Austria and Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have seen few refugees and migrants seeking to transit through their territories to Germany in recent months.
AFP
ahram.org.eg
14/9/15
l'Autriche fait appel à l'armée face à l'afflux de migrants...
ReplyDeleteFace à l'afflux de migrants, notamment à la frontière austro-hongroise, l'Autriche a décidé de faire appel à l'armée pour "seconder la police". Le pays s'attend, ce lundi, à l'arrivée de plus de 10 000 personnes.
Alors que l’Allemagne a réintroduit dimanche soir le contrôle à ses frontières, en particulier celle avec l'Autriche, Vienne n’a pas tardé à réagir. Lundi 14 septembre, le chancelier autrichien Werner Fayman a annoncé la mobilisation de 2 200 soldats "dans les deux heures" pour "assister la police" dans la gestion des migrants aux frontières.
"La tâche de l'armée sera prioritairement d'apporter une aide humanitaire à l'intérieur du pays. Mais elle assurera aussi un rôle de soutien pour les contrôles frontaliers, là où c'est nécessaire", a souligné le dirigeant social-démocrate, lors d’une conférence de presse. L'Autriche table sur l'arrivée de plus de 10 000 migrants à sa frontière avec la Hongrie pour la seule journée de lundi.
Werner Faymann a néanmoins souligné l'importance symbolique de la mesure. "Le droit d'asile doit être garanti, et l'humanité doit prévaloir", a-t-il souligné, indiquant que "nous n'avons connaissance d'aucun cas de personne refoulée d'Allemagne" depuis l'introduction des contrôles par Berlin...............france24.com
14/9/15