Zagreb, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) continues to reject refugee distribution within the EU. It would be best to bring people rescued from distress to Libya in the Mediterranean, he said to the EU Interior Council in Zagreb. Sea rescue should not automatically be a ticket to Europe. Of course, it is important to ensure decent treatment in Libya, said Nehammer of the APA.
Austria is extraordinarily burdened, since 2015, 200,000 asylum applications have been processed. “We already have and continue to make a high contribution,” emphasized Nehammer, who called for the strengthening of external border protection and an increase in the EU border protection authority. It is a matter of “unitedly fighting the fight against illegal migration and against smuggling”.
It is wrong “that people are being brought from Greece to the mainland, because this will lead to organized crime of trafficking bringing more people back to the islands,” said Nehammer. Most of the migrants were economic refugees and then made their way to Central Europe. The task now was to work with the states along the eastern Mediterranean route to tackle trafficking consistently and break the networks.
The German interior minister Horst Seehofer, however, called for “European solidarity” in the distribution of refugees. That is also in Austria’s interest, says Seehofer. If that doesn’t work, there will be a disorderly process, “with all the risks that come with a loss of control. We have all experienced that, including the Austrians.” Therefore, he believes that Austria will also be interested in an orderly solution, said Seehofer.
A compromise solution, where some countries would accept refugees but others would contribute with money, was possible. “But it is important that the vast majority of states are ready to accept refugees and not to buy themselves out, so to speak,” emphasized the German interior minister. He welcomed a realignment of the EU-Mediterranean “Sophia” mission to combat arms smuggling in the civil war-torn country of Libya, said Seehofer. If people are rescued from distress at the same time, that’s okay, Seehofer said. However, this should not lead to a “taxi service” between Libya and Italy.
EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johannson sees the realignment of “Sophia” as a way to prevent arms smuggling into Libya. However, this does not prevent people from continuing to fight smuggling. In addition, Johannson announced in Zagreb that it would introduce “a restart and a new pact in the area of migration and asylum” in the spring.
After the council, the interior commissioner said that cooperation between national police forces should be improved and simplified. The fight against organized crime should also be advanced. According to Europol, there are 5,000 organized criminal gangs in the EU that generate € 110 billion annually, said Johannson. Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic emphasized that cooperation with the Balkans and Turkey should be promoted and that the situation in Greece should be closely monitored. A European answer is needed here, Bozinovic said.
In the meantime, the SPÖ and MSF criticized Nehammer’s statements. In Libya, “cruel human rights violations are on the agenda”, so Nehammer’s statements are “extremely cynical,” said SPÖ MEP Bettina Vollath. Laura Leyser, Managing Director of Doctors Without Borders Austria, said that there are currently “no places in Libya” that “could guarantee a minimum level of security” for vulnerable migrants and refugees. A return of those in need of protection to Libya, where there are massive human rights violations, should therefore be rejected.
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