5 nations demand better EU sharing of migration load

·

The interior ministers of the five Mediterranean countries on the front line of mass migration to Europe want their EU partners to share the burden more equitably.

“We can no longer be punished for our geographical position,” Malta’s Byron Camilleri said Saturday, summing up his position and that of his colleagues from Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain after they met in Athens.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas joined part of the meeting, Schinas is coordinating the commission’s work to revise the European Union’s pact on migration and asylum.

Greece’s Minister of Migration and Asylum Notis Mitarachi makes a statement following a ministerial meeting in Athens, Saturday, March 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

Ministers from Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain created a “MED 5” group last year in an effort to present united front and influence the new EU pact.

Their demands are threefold: better cooperation with the countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia where most Europe-bound migrants and asylum-seekers come from; greater willingness by other EU member nations to accept newly arrived migrants; and a centralized European repatriation mechanism overseen by the EU’s executive commission.

More than a thousand people protested in solidarity with migrants and refugees in the center of Athens on Saturday. The timing was intended to coincide with the officials’ meeting.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, attends a ministerial meeting in Athens, Saturday, March 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

Southern European countries with extensive coastlines have borne the brunt of arriving asylum-seekers hoping to enter the EU. Most Europe-bound migrants travel by boat on dangerous maritime smuggling routes, either from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands or across the Mediterranean from north Africa.

The ministers discussed whether Turkey played an active role in pushing migrants toward Europe in contravention of a 2016 migration-control between the EU and Turkey.

Cyprus’ interior minister, Nikos Nouris, said most of the migrants arriving in his country enter from the the Turkish Cypriot-controlled northern part of the island nation. He called for Turkey to accept inspections on its southern shoreline by Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency.

Sourced By: AP News

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Magna Graecia – Part 6: The eternal return

Across this series, we have journeyed through the Greek settlements of southern Italy, tracing how Hellenic civilisation spread.

Kiato: Greece’s seaside town loved by locals and the diaspora

Kiato is a seaside town, about 25 kilometres from Korinthos on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. On the national highway.

Changing your name and surname abroad and in Greece

It is generally known that in Greece to live and work many foreigners have acquired Greek citizenship by naturalisation or by determination.

Action over inertia: Building the future of the Greek diaspora in Australia

It is necessary that we now be led to the need of finding mechanisms that will halt the demographic withering, the social inertia and the cultural thinning.

Costeen Hatzi opens up on life after Nick Kyrgios split

Costeen Hatzi has spent her summer in Europe, enjoying her first overseas girls’ trip, a milestone that carried extra meaning for her.

You May Also Like

Olive oil for peace: A symbolic act of reconciliation

Two producers from both sides of the Aegean Sea have created a collector’s case featuring extra virgin olive oils from Greece and Turkey.

Peter Gonis focuses on youth, culture and transparency in GOCSA re-election bid

With the upcoming GOCSA elections set for Saturday, January 11, current Vice President Peter Gonis is vying for re-election on a new ticket.

The oldest throne room in Europe is located in this ancient palace on Crete

In the Palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete, a magnificent throne room built during the 15th century BC is considered the...