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WORLD NEWS Thursday 24 sepTember 2020
EU proposes new asylum system to help frontline nations

By LORNE COOK tion proposal.
Associated Press The catch is that the plan
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- involves "flexible forms of
pean Union announced a support, starting off on a
major overhaul of its asy- voluntary basis." Stricter
lum system Wednesday in requirements to help out
hopes that more countries would only be imposed in
will finally share responsi- crisis situations like Greece
bility for people landing saw in 2015, when hundreds
on Europe's shores seeking of thousands of Syrian refu-
sanctuary or better lives. gees made the short — but
The move comes after sometimes deadly — jour-
years of chaos and dis- ney across from Turkey.
pute among the bloc's 27 So far, voluntary EU migra-
nations over the handling tion management schemes
of migrants and refugees have tended to fail.
amid a recognition that the EU Migration Commissioner
current EU system for decid- Ylva Johansson ruled out
ing whether they should re- the use of mandatory quo-
ceive protection or be sent tas for sharing migrants.
home has failed. When asked whether more
"The old system to deal effort would be made to
with it in Europe no longer European Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life Margaritas Schinas, speaks dur- save people in the Medi-
works," European Commis- ing a media conference on the New Pact for Migration and Asylum at EU headquarters in Brussels, terranean, she said: "Not
sion President Ursula von Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. according to our propos-
der Leyen told reporters in Associated Press al. It will be the opposite, I
Brussels, adding that the guess."
"New Pact for Migration mission says. Turkey, Leba- prepared for deportation. lows countries with anti- Johansson said this, com-
and Asylum" offers Europe non and Jordan have had Both procedures would migrant governments to bined with swift screening
"a fresh start." to cater to far more. take 12 weeks and the mi- become "the bouncers of and return procedures,
The arrival in 2015 of well EU nations have responded grants could be held in de- Europe" but she raised con- should make people "think
over 1 million migrants, in various ways, from erect- tention. cerns about the legal status twice before paying a lot
mostly refugees fleeing war ing razor-wire border fenc- From there, EU members of people in the process. of money to the smugglers
in Syria, sparked one of the es to ignoring emergency could choose to help ease "Those put in a border pro- and before risking their lives
EU's biggest political crises. calls from overcrowded the load on countries that cedure, it will be as if they going into these very dan-
EU nations have fought smugglers' boats in the have seen the most mi- have never entered EU ter- gerous boats."
since over who should Mediterranean. Some mi- grant arrivals by sea — like ritory," she said. That legal The proposals suggest the
take responsibility for the grants have been left to Greece, Italy, Malta and limbo allows authorities to EU will continue holding un-
migrants, with front-line languish on ships for weeks Spain — by taking in some quickly put people on a authorized migrants in the
Mediterranean nations like rather than being allowed refugees or providing other plane or a boat home. Greek islands until they can
Greece, Italy, Malta and into safe harbors. Aid support. Austrian Interior Minister Karl be sent away. Earlier this
Spain demanding more groups and European citi- Those not willing to do that Nehammer cautiously wel- month, a blaze destroyed
help from their EU neigh- zens face criminal charges could take charge of de- comed the plan, saying it the squalid Moria refugee
bors. for their efforts to save lives. porting people whose ap- "goes in the right direction camp on the Greek is-
The arguments rage on The new plan hinges on the plications are refused. This in very important areas." He land of Lesbos, where over
even though the number fast-track screening of mi- option might suit Austria, stressed the need for the EU 12,000 people lived in facili-
of unauthorized migrants grants arriving at Europe's the Czech Republic, Hun- to conduct deportations ties built for 3,000.
has dwindled sharply in re- borders without permission. gary, Poland and Slovakia, "faster, more strongly and Von der Leyen said the EU
cent years. Some 140,000 It would be completed who are all reluctant to ac- more efficiently," the Aus- has agreed to set up a joint
people arrived last year, within 5 days. People would cept refugees. tria Press Agency reported. pilot project with Greek au-
compared to around 2 mil- then be sent into an asylum Hanne Beirens, Director of Czech Interior Minister Jan thorities to manage an im-
lion migrants who entered track if they qualify for pro- Migration Policy Institute Hamacek said his country migrant reception center
legally, the European Com- tection, or they would be Europe, said this option al- was open to the deporta- on Lesbos.q

China blasts U.S. House bill, denies forced labor in Xinjiang

BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday "The so-called problem of forced na, one of the world's top produc- chain is free of materials that have
lashed out at the passage of a bill labor is totally a lie fabricated by ers of the fiber, as well as tomatoes been produced with forced labor.
by the U.S. House of Representa- some organizations and personnel and manufactured goods. The U.S. has banned imports made
tives that threatens sanctions over in the United States and the West," Members of Congress say the with forced labor since 1930 to en-
the alleged use of forced labor in Wang told reporters at a daily measure is needed to press China sure fair trade. Enforcement has
China's Xinjiang region, calling the briefing. The House voted 406-3 to to stop a campaign that has result- increased in recent years and U.S.
accusation a lie. declare that any goods produced ed in the detention of more than 1 Customs and Border Protection
Foreign ministry spokesman Wang in Xinjiang are presumptively made million Uighurs and other predomi- has blocked shipments by eight
Wenbin said the bill "maliciously with the forced labor of detained nantly Muslim ethnic groups under companies and entities operat-
slandered the human rights situa- Uighurs and other ethnic minorities, brutal conditions. ing in Xinjiang over the past year.
tion in Xinjiang" and sought to curb and therefore banned from being Some companies and trade groups The bill passed Tuesday would go
development and progress in the imported to the U.S. oppose a Xinjiang-wide declara- further, shifting the burden to any
region while stirring up ethnic divi- If enacted into law, it could force tion because it puts the burden on company that operates in Xinjiang
sions and interfering in China's in- companies to avoid a region that private enterprises to ensure that or buys goods from there to prove
ternal affairs. products 80% of the cotton in Chi- an often complex global supply their goods are not tainted.q