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WORLD NEWS 9
Thursday 7 April 2016
European Union ponders better way to deal with migrants
RAF CASERT already caused serious fric- A disabled migrant holds a banner reading “Human rights don’t apply here” during a demonstra-
ELENA BECATOROS tion with many EU nations. tion at the border crossing at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Wednesday,
Associated Press Migratory pressures over April 6, 2016. About hundreds migrants gathered in camp Idomeni demanding opening the bor-
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Eu- the past year drove a ders for migrants.
ropean Union took its first stream of hundreds of thou-
steps Wednesday toward sands of people up from (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
a fundamental reform of its the Mediterranean toward
defective migration policy, northern nations like Ger- offered only “options” on decision-making once the refugee crisis.
which has heaped huge many and Sweden in cha- which the member states refugee crisis hit last year In an interview in the Ger-
pressure on some nations otic circumstances which and the EU parliamentary have been fodder for crit- man daily Bild, Hollande
like Greece as over a mil- turned current EU rules into groups should build further. ics who portray the EU as said “in the end (Europe)
lion migrants and refugees a mockery. And Timmermans insisted an inefficient, outmoded always succeeds in finding
surged into the continent “The current crisis has that a logical extension of institution. a solution ... but we have to
over the past year. shown the present system is common EU policies, like a Even French President Fran- pay a high price for the lost
Yet almost immediately, not working,” EU Vice Presi- central European system cois Hollande, a staunch time.”
the East-West fissure within dent Frans Timmermans to deal with asylum claims defender of the EU, was More than 53,000 refugees
the EU over migration was said, adding small nations was still too controversial. forced to admit Wednes- and migrants have been
laid bare. Nations like Ger- like Greece could never “In political terms, it is not day that the bloc’s biggest stranded in Greece since
many and Greece wel- have dealt with such a task realistic to talk about this problem is its slow decision- Austria and the Balkan na-
comed the plan by the EU’s to process so many asylum today.” making process — whether tions north of Greece —
executive Commission that claims. The bloc’s inefficient rules in the financial crisis, the Serbia, Croatia and Mace-
seeks to amend the current “This is neither fair nor sus- on how to handle migra- fight against terrorism or a donia — closed their land
principle under which the tainable.” tion along with its slow common response to the borders last month.q
first nation where a migrant The Commission said in a
arrives is forced to process document to EU institutions
their asylum request and that “significant structural
temporarily shelter them. weaknesses and shortcom-
The Czech Republic, which ings” in the current system
chairs the Visegrad group were rife, which placed “a
of four eastern EU nations, disproportionate respon-
voiced opposition to any sibility” on some nations,
plan that would mean while others, mostly east-
each EU nation has to take ern European members,
a set number of asylum- sought to shield their coun-
seekers. tries from having to carry
The Commission is propos- much of the refugee bur-
ing a reform in which a den.
“distribution key” to spread In the face of such short-
asylum applicants around comings, nations like
the EU would be a key el- Greece and Germany
ement, either as part of a quickly welcomed the
whole new system or as an Commission’s proposals.
addition to the current one. Showing the sensitivity of
But efforts to distribute the the issue though, the Com-
recent influx of refugees mission said its proposals
Syria army launches counteroffensive south of city of Aleppo
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian confirmed on Wednesday mascus-Aleppo highway. pletely derail the agree- Meanwhile, the SITE Intelli-
army and its allies have the death of Abu Firas al- The village was captured ment, which greatly re- gence Group, which moni-
launched a counteroffen- Souri, a senior figure in the on Monday by rebels allied duced overall violence in tors militant websites said
sive to recapture a village group, in a U.S. airstrike in with al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria. The fighting pits Syrian the Nusra Front posted on
south of the city of Aleppo the northern province of Syria, the Nusra Front. government forces and al- social media Wednesday
that was overrun by al- Idlib on Sunday. The fighting outside Alep- lied Lebanese Hezbollah a statement in which it ac-
Qaida-allied militant a few Syrian activist groups said po, the country’s second- militiamen against mili- cused the U.S. of “blatant-
days earlier, activists said the push near Aleppo, largest city, has been the tants, including the Nusra ly” helping the Syrian gov-
Wednesday. which started late Tuesday worst since a partial cease- Front. The al-Qaida branch ernment with the airstrike
The development came night, is aimed at retak- fire agreement came into is excluded from the truce that killed Abu Firas al-Souri
as Syria’s al-Qaida branch, ing the village of Tel al-Ais, effect in late February and along with its rival the Islam- in the northern province of
known as the Nusra Front, which overlooks the Da- has threatened to com- ic State group. Idlib.q
