Divided EU leaders convene for emergency talks on migration

[JustJohn or JJ]

Divided EU leaders convene for emergency talks on migration
By Gabriela Baczynska
June 23, 2018



^{German Chancellor Angela Merkel is welcomed by European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker at the start of an emergency European Union
leaders summit on immigration at the EU Commission headquarters in
Brussels, Belgium June 24, 2018.
REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool}

By Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders gather in Brussels on Sunday in an attempt to bridge their deep divisions over migration, an issue that has been splitting them for years and now poses a fresh threat to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Though arrivals across the Mediterranean are only a fraction of what they were in 2015, when more than a million people reached Europe, a recent opinion poll showed migration was the top concern for the EU's 500 million citizens.

Under heavy pressure from voters at home, EU leaders have been fighting bitter battles over how to share out asylum seekers in the bloc.

Unable to agree, they have become more restrictive on asylum and tightened their external borders to let fewer people in. They have given money and aid to countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East to keep people from heading for Europe.

Only 41,000 refugees and migrants have made it to the EU across the sea so far this year, U.N. figures show.

But the issue has in the meantime won and lost elections for politicians across the bloc from Italy to Hungary, with voters favoring those advocating a tougher stance on migration.

On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France favored financial sanctions for EU countries that refuse migrants with proven asylum status.

Merkel is under pressure because her longtime conservative allies, Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), have threatened to start turning away at the German border all asylum seekers already registered elsewhere in the EU unless the bloc reaches an agreement on distributing them more evenly.

They mostly live in countries like Greece and Italy - both long overwhelmed with arrivals - or wealthy states like Germany or Sweden, where they choose to try to start a new life.

The ex-communist states in the EU's east led by Hungary and Poland have refused to host any of the new arrivals, citing security risks after a raft of Islamist attacks in Europe.

The bloc has been unable to break the deadlock, the bad blood spilling over to other areas of their cooperation, including crucial talks on the bloc's next seven-year budget from 2021.

With Germany being the main contributor to the bloc's joint coffers, the southern gateway countries were promised more money to handle migration, while the reluctant easterners face cuts in development aid.

HASTILY ARRANGED

Merkel is now pushing other EU states, including Italy, to do more on migration so that fewer people get to Germany and she can convince the CSU not to go ahead with their plan.

She opposes the idea by the CSU, which will face the anti-immigration AfD party in Bavarian elections in October, because it would mean rigid border controls inside what is normally the EU's coveted control-free travel zone.

To placate the CSU, Merkel must get something from Sunday, arranged hastily among more than a dozen EU capitals, and also from the full summit of the bloc's 28 leaders on June 28-29.

All EU leaders agree they must further curb immigration by working with third countries, though that often proves slow.

Berlin's other idea is to send back those asylum seekers who make it to countries like Germany to the states of their first arrival, like Italy.

But Rome has already rejected measures that could see it handle even more people and the Sunday talks are all but certain to see the two countries clash.

In the mid-term, the EU is only going to become tougher on migration, something rights groups denounce as turning it into a "fortress" beyond reach for those less privileged.

The U.N. refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi reminded the bloc that the height of their migration crisis was back in 2015.

"Despite today's dramatically lower arrival rates, the shockwaves of that event still reverberate - at the political level, and in the tendency toward restrictive, unilateral approaches that some European countries have pursued," he said.

"EU policies on asylum can and should set an example on how to manage refugee situations with compassion and solidarity," he added, urging the bloc to overcome its divisions to help those in need rather than focus on just winning the next election.

(Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Andrew Bolton)

[karl]

J.J.

Yes, this is a very hot rock at present that may just well extend in to the fore see able future. At this time, I shant not to compare the programmes as demonstrated in Denmark that addresses this issue, as some have already been brought to light to the irritations of Sweden.

But, not so much to the political leadership, but to the people on the street, villages and public, this has gone far enough. For patience to these people is not a virtue. It has come to the event that if action is not initated or at least a workable plan not presented for use, these effected leaders may just be on the street looking for work.

It may be noted that the American, Mr. Trump is feeling a great deal of heat with the US problem of a large influx of immigrants crossing the border in to the land of milk and honey,,,not to forget, a very nice welfare system. Not to forget, the seporation of children from their mothers upon entering.

In the matter of seporation of children from their mothers, it should be noted as to what is worse. Seporation of children to be held in seperate quarters, or children jailed with their mothers?

Karl

[pieter]

Dear John and Karl,

Good article of Gabriela Baczynska John. I said it before Europe is very divided on issues as immigration, refugees (asylum seekers), more or less European Union (influence of Brussels). It is clear that you have in Center Europe a hard right, Conservative and rather Nationalistic block of nations, the Visegrád Group, also called the Visegrád Four (V4) (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) plus Austria. I wonder if Austria will join the Visegrád Group in the near future. Austria is linked to the Germanic nations in Europe, Germany and Switzerland, by borders, languages, tradition, culture and history. But today politically Austria is closer to Poland, Hungary, the Czech republic, Slovakia and nations like Italy and Russia. In Western Europe strong rightwing populist movements like the Dutch PVV (Geert Wilders Freedom party) and Forum for Democracy (with it's charismatic intellectual leader Thierry Baudet), Alternative für Deutschland and the Bavarian CSU, the Flemish Vlaams Belang and NVA in Belgium, the French Front National and the Danish Peoples party look with agreement towards the Hungarian and Austrian governments tough policies on immigration, closing of borders and support the Polish, Hungarian and Austrian focus on European and Christian identity and rejection or reservation against Muslims migrants. In Austria and Bavaria you see a strong focus on Christian and European heritage of the Austrian and Bavarian countries, nations and peoples.

It will be difficult for the West-European, Central European and Southern-European leaders to bridge their deep divisions over migration. Poland, Hungary, Austria and Italy on one side and the Germans, Swedes, Belgians, Dutch, Luxemburgers and French on the other side. Eastern-European countries like Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic states are on the side of Poland, Hungary and Austria. Migration is a top concern for the EU's 500 million citizens, because West-Europeans (Belgians, French, Dutch, Germans, Swedes and others) face problems with the lack of integration of non-Western (non-European) Muslim migrants from North-Africa, Turkey, the Middle-east, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Africa. Also against non-Muslim non-Western immigrants from Africa, Asia and other parts of the world there are resentments amongst the European peoples of the EU member states. 'Our own people first' is a much used phrase in Europe. People want that first the present immigrants are integrated better and after that politicians may allow refugees in if they are checked horoughly.

Gabriela Baczynska is correct in saying that under heavy pressure from voters at home, EU leaders have been fighting bitter battles over how to share out asylum seekers in the bloc.

The European leaders also have become more restrictive on asylum and tightened their external borders to let fewer people in, because they struggle with the migrants and refugees that are already in their countries. They face huge integration problems, the development of ethnic enclaves of migrants, unemployment, crime and disintegration in their countries. That is also why they have given money and aid to countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East to keep people from heading for Europe. Not only because they were unable to agree with each other. They face huge domestic problems in their own countries. For instance a growing segregation between their native European population on one side and the migrant population on the other side. For instance in the Netherlands you have 'white schools' for native European Dutch children today (mostly blond, blue eyed, but also brunette en redhead Dutch children), and 'Black schools' for migrant children (which means Moroccan Dutch, Turkish Dutch, Bosnian Dutch, Somali Dutch, Afghan Dutch, Algerian Dutch and African Dutch and etc.), and native white European Duch neighborhoods and 'Black' migrant neighbourhoods with about 75%, 80% or 90% migrant populations.

The European nations want Europe to become a fortress and want to discourage new refugees to come in.

Politicians across the bloc from Denmark to Italy, and from Poland to Hungary voters are in favor of a tougher stance on migration. They want the borders of their countries closed and that the refugees stay in their region in safe zones, in camps over there. Many Europeans see them as non-Western, alien, Muslim and therefor different. European citizens also point at a different education level, different cultures, different life styles, different customs, different traditions and different heritages. They fear the in their point of view primitive culture, lack of education and the problems these non-Western newcomers might cause in their countries.

The plea of French President Emmanuel Macron for financial sanctions for EU countries that refuse migrants with proven asylum status might convince some European nations to follow the United Kingdom in it's Brexit. The anti-European (anti-Brussels), anti-Euro (currency), anti-sanctions for Russia, anti-liberal and anti-migration sentiment is strong in these Central-European, Eastern-European and Southern-European (Italy) nations.

The conservative Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) will start turning away at the German border all asylum seekers already registered elsewhere in the EU, because the CSU wants a Austrian, Polish, Hungarian direction in political decision making and does not want to follow the Merkel CDU-SPD course of appeasement, being lenient and soft (liberal) on immigration. These are tough Southern Conservatives who dislike the liberal and Social democratic North and the Moderate consensus based Christian democrats of the CDU. Because the CDU course costs the CSU votes. The CSU votes go to Alternative für Deutschland if the CSU supports Merkel. Unless the bloc reaches an agreement on distributing them more evenly the CSU continue threatening Merkel and the CDU to start turning away at the German border all asylum seekers already registered elsewhere .

Greece and Italy will change if refugees will continue to come in, because these Southern-European countries aren't built for large quantities of refugees. Germany and Sweden will face huge integration and social order problems, because they have to many refugees and immigrants. They can't integrate all these people and thus the ghettoization, the creation of Non-Western, ethnic enclaves will continue to take place and thus happen. Integration programs, trying to keep people in safe havens, no fly zones and protected area's in the regions they come from is better than to allow mass immigration, refugee streams to Western-Europe.

I understand the point of view and stance of the ex-communist states in the EU's east led by Hungary and Poland who refused to host any of the new arrivals. Poland experienced foreign occupations, the negative impact of Prussian and Russian culture forced upon them during the petitions. The heritage of memory of the attacks of the Tartars and Cossacks are in their blood, and given to them by their ancestors. Religion, tradition, customs, people, history and heritage means more for Poles and Hungarians than for Dutch people, Germans or Belgians. The Danes are somewhat different with their national pride, Nordic Scandinavian culture, Lutheran heritage, Nordic connection with other Scandinavian countries (despite disagreements with Sweden).

Poland and Hungary are right about the security risks after a raft of Islamist attacks in Europe. But in the same time it can't be true that only Germany and Sweden take all the refugees.

Germany must be tough to the reluctant easterners by threatening cuts in development aid. If we spread refugees more over all nations, you get less large concentrations of them and can avoid ghettoization and the creation of ethnic enclaves in Europe. The creation of ethnic Turkish, Berber, Arab, Kurd, Persian (Iranian), Afghan, Pakistani, Somalian, Eritrean, Nigerian, Tunesian/Algerian (North African Maghreb) islands in continental Europe is dangerous.

It is good that Merkel is pushing other EU states to do more on migration so that fewer people will decide and be able to Germany. She could be able to convince the CSU not to go ahead with their plan if other European nations take their equal share of refugees and migrants.

For the CSU it is a battle for survival with the anti-immigration AfD party in the Bavarian elections of October. She fears that the Schengen Agreement will be in jeopardy. The Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. The area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The Schengen Area is important for the European innermarket, trade (import & export) and thus the transport sectors and the tourist sectors of the the participating states.

Rigid border controls inside what is normally the EU's coveted control-free travel zone, would mean the end of this Schengen Area.

Merkel will have deadly exhausting negotiations, because the EU member states are everything but not united. Italy, Denmark, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, the Czech republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus and probably Malta oppose the policies of Angela Merkel and Sweden. All nations who face migrant issues. Or are threatened with financial sanctions for EU countries that refuse migrants with proven asylum status.

It is true that EU policies on asylum can and should set an example on how to manage refugee situations with compassion and solidarity.

Cheers,
Pieter