Page 9 - Aruba Today
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Friday 29 January 2016
Germany reaches Mass expulsions ahead for EU as migrant crisis grows
migrant deal, with
limits on relatives KARL RITTER even entire families, onto open door,” she said. less than 40 percent of the
Associated Press chartered airplanes bound EU statistics show most of people who were ordered
GEIR MOULSON STOCKHOLM (AP) — Daz- for the Balkans, the Middle those rejected come from to be deported.
Associated Press zled by an unprecedented East or Africa evokes imag- the Balkans including Al- Sometimes those seeking
BERLIN (AP) — Germa- wave of migration, Sweden es that clash with Europe’s bania and Kosovo, some asylum go into hiding after
ny’s governing coalition on Thursday put into words humanitarian ideals. of Europe’s poorest coun- receiving a negative deci-
reached a deal Thursday an uncomfortable real- But the sharp rise of people tries. Many applicants run- sion. Sometimes their native
to end prolonged squab- ity for Europe: If the con- seeking asylum in Europe ning away from poverty in country doesn’t want them
bling over measures to back. EU countries, includ-
streamline its handling of Sweden’s Interior Minister Anders Ygeman discusses the EU migrant crisis in Stockholm, Sweden. ing Sweden and Germany,
the migrant influx, a result Ygeman says Sweden could deport between 60,000 and 80,000 asylum-seekers in coming years. have had some success
that means some Syrians sending people back to
may face a longer wait to (Henrik Montgomery/TT via AP) the Balkans on chartered
bring relatives to Germany. flights. Of the 37,000 who
The agreement foresees tinent isn’t going to wel- last year almost certainly West Africa, Pakistan and returned from Germany on
that refugees who didn’t come more than 1 million will also lead to much high- Bangladesh also are turned their own accord last year,
face “immediate personal people a year, it will have er numbers of rejections away. Even people from all but about 5,000 were
persecution” won’t be al- to deport large numbers of and deportations. unstable countries like Iraq, from the Balkans.
lowed to bring relatives them to countries plagued European Union officials Afghanistan and Somalia “It’s been more difficult
to join them for two years, by social unrest and abject have urged member coun- can’t count on getting asy- with Iraq and Afghanistan,”
Vice Chancellor Sigmar poverty. tries to quickly send back lum unless they can prove said Mikael Ribbenvik, di-
Gabriel said after meeting Interior Minister Anders those who don’t qualify they, personally, face rector of operations at the
Chancellor Angela Merkel Ygeman said Sweden for asylum so that Europe’s grave risks at home. Swedish Migration Agency.
and Bavaria’s governor, could send back 60,000- welcome can be focused Frans Timmermans, the “The returns have worked
Horst Seehofer. 80,000 asylum seekers in on those who do, such as Commission’s vice presi- during some periods, and
The coalition also plans to the coming years. Even in a people fleeing the war in dent, told Dutch TV sta- not so well during others.”
declare Morocco, Alge- country with a long history Syria. tion NOS this week that the One of the biggest ob-
ria and Tunisia safe coun- of immigration, that would “People who do not have majority of people seeking stacles to sending people
tries of origin, Gabriel said, be a scale of expulsions un- a right to stay in the Euro- asylum in Europe are not back is to obtain travel
making it easier to send seen before. pean Union need to be refugees. documents from their home
migrants back to those “The first step is to ensure returned home,” said Na- “More than half, 60 per- countries. People routinely
countries. Germany did voluntary returns,” Ygeman tasha Bertaud, a spokes- cent, should have to re- lose or even destroy their
the same last year for sev- told Swedish newspaper woman for the EU’s execu- turn much more quickly. travel papers coming to
eral Balkan nations whose Dagens Industri. “But if we tive Commission. If we start with doing that, Europe, creating confusion
citizens are barely ever don’t succeed, we need to “This is a matter of credibil- it would already make a about where they are from.
granted asylum. have returns by coercion.” ity that we do return these huge difference,” he said. “Most countries in the world
The package of measures, The coercive part is where people, because you don’t Sending them back is don’t accept someone if
which was first tentatively it gets uncomfortable. want to give the impression easier said than done. In cannot be proved that it’s
agreed in early November, Packing unwilling migrants, of course that Europe is an 2014, EU nations returned one of their citizens,” Rib-
also foresees using special benvik said. Sweden has
centers to quickly progress urged the EU and its Frontex
migrants who have little re- border agency to help es-
alistic chance of winning tablish return agreements
asylum. It has been held with the countries of origin.
up since then as Merkel’s Frontex’s budget for de-
and Seehofer’s conserva- porting people was signifi-
tive parties squabbled with cantly increased this year,
Gabriel’s center-left So- allowing it to coordinate
cial Democrats over who more flights and help coun-
should initially be blocked tries prepare their own.
from bringing relatives Under U.N. rules, countries
to Germany. The Social are supposed to offer pro-
Democrats had taken the tection to refugees fleeing
November agreement war and persecution. But
to mean that only a few some European countries
people who receive “sub- also offer protection to
sidiary protection” — a sta- people deemed at risk of
tus that falls short of formal torture or the death penal-
asylum — would face a ty or who are suffering from
two-year wait to be able an exceptionally serious
to have relatives join them. disease.q
