"Everyone with soul has been shocked by the images of the baby we saw yesterday at the Turkish shore. Thousands of refugees arrive first at Greece. We are here, to discuss with the Greek government the best way that we can quickly implement the decisions that are necessary for us to be able to assist financially and with people and material so as the situation becomes better," Timmermans said.
The European officials took part in a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou and four ministers in order to set up a coordinating center in Piraeus to accelerate the management of the migration flow.
On Friday, they will visit Kos, one of the Aegean islands that has received a vast number of migrants and refugees.
At the same time, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos stressed that the refugee crisis is Europe's responsibility as he received the chief of the International Organization for Migration in Greece Daniel Esdra.
"Nobody has the right to ignore this image which shows that we are not only unprepared in these hours, but that we did not make arrangements to face the problem together," Pavlopoulos pointed out regarding the image of the drowned bodies of two toddlers that were found at the shores of Turkey in Bodrum on Wednesday.
As the country has received a massive refugee and migration influx of 230,000 people so far this year, Greece's caretaker government announced an immediate plan of relief measures to address the refugee crisis on the Aegean islands during a press conference on Thursday.
According to Greek caretaker Economy Minister Nikos Christodoulakis, Greek islands receiving the bulk of immigrants will be economically supported.
Among the measures the Greek government will implement immediately are the creation of a refugees flow coordination management center, actions for the improvement of the conditions in the existing reception centers as well as the speeding up of the identification procedures of those migrants entitled to international protection that arrive in Greece.
Moreover, the procedures for direct development of the existing European programs for solidarity along with community funds are activated and the absorption of the available resources from the recovery and support programs will be accelerated to ease the pressure on the Aegean islands' societies.
Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
4/9/15
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Migrant crisis: EU 'must accept 200,000 refugees', UN says...
ReplyDeleteEU nations must accept up to 200,000 refugees as part of a "common strategy" to replace their "piecemeal" approach to the migrant crisis, the UN says.
Antonio Guterres, head of the UN refugee agency, said the EU must mobilise "full force" for the crisis, calling it a "defining moment".
EU leaders, split over sharing the refugee burden, are scrambling to agree a response in meetings on Friday.
In Hungary, hundreds of refugees are locked in a stalemate with authorities.
Migrants hoping to reach the Austrian border have refused to disembark from a train surrounded by police in the Hungarian town of Bicske, 40km (25 miles) from Budapest.....BBC
4/9/15
F. Timmermans: "Une Europe sans frontières ne peut pas survivre si on continue comme ça" ...
ReplyDeletePour faire face à la crise migratoire que traverse l'Europe ces derniers mois, plusieurs pays évoquent, si pas la disparition, en tout cas une sérieuse réforme de l'espace Schengen qui prévoit la libre-circulation des personnes en son sein. Certains pays suggèrent le retour aux contrôles systématiques aux frontières entre l’Italie et la France ou entre la Pologne et l’Allemagne par exemple.
Le vice-président de la Commission européenne, Frans Timmermans, s'est exprimé sur le sujet ce vendredi matin depuis l'île grecque de Kos où débarquent de nombreux réfugiés. "Une Europe sans frontières ne peut pas survivre si on continue comme ça. Notre société s’est construite sur les bases d’une solidarité organisée qui serait complètement déstabilisée si on décidait que tout le monde peut venir" a-t-il dit.
Mais il a également rappelé les obligations morales et légales de l'Union européenne envers les réfugiés : "L’Europe ne peut pas survivre non plus si on abandonne nos valeurs et nos obligations légales vis-à-vis des personnes qui ont le droit à la protection quand ils fuient la guerre et les persécutions. C'est l'équilibre que l'Europe doit trouver maintenant". Frans Timmermans met aussi en garde contre la montée de la xénophobie qui pourrait découler de la situation actuelle : "Si on oublie ça, on oublie qui nous sommes et nous laissons l’Europe aux xénophobes et aux extrémistes qui vont la détruire".
rtbf.be
4/9/15