“Europe needs to learn how to deal with the influx of people, because it is unlikely to stop,” said Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Zuter. The latest influx is to the north – to Lithuania from Belarus. Thus began the analysis of “Vele came“on the topic” Refugees – the new migration of peoples “.
“Every asylum seeker has the right to have his or her case dealt with individually, but not everyone can stay in the EU,” said EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ilva Johansson. However, she points out that people have rights and dignity and should be treated accordingly, even when they are sent away.
This is exactly what the spirit of the Geneva Convention on Refugees dictates. This convention determines exactly who is a refugee – for example, when a person flees war or is persecuted for his or her political beliefs or religion.
But migrants do not always leave their home countries voluntarily. And Europe needs to learn how to deal with the influx of people, says Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Zuter. Her country is a Schengen member, so Karin Keller-Zuter is among the line ministers in the EU discussing the implementation of the political asylum and migration package.
“Our progress is minimal. But at the moment we may be in an intermediate phase,” said the Swiss minister. According to her, the most important thing today is for ministers to focus on the essential elements of the reform, as the migration movement is relatively strong.
Karin Keller-Zuter fears that Europe could re-enter the migrant crisis without being prepared for it.
The latest wave to the EU is from Belarus
Concerns are growing that once the pandemic is over, the number of migrants will increase by leaps and bounds. For example, on their central route through the Mediterranean, the number of migrants doubled in June compared to the same month last year. In the first six months of the year, nearly 7,000 people landed in the Canary Islands alone – 90 percent more than in the same period in 2020.
New migration routes are also emerging. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has even deliberately flown refugees into his country and then directed them to the border with Lithuania and the EU, respectively, to avenge the sanctions imposed on him by Brussels. Europe has already sent 10m euros and additional staff to Lithuania to deal with the influx of refugees. However, this is a show of solidarity that has not been seen before, when asylum seekers had to be distributed among the Member States. That is why plans for reform of pan-European asylum and migration policy have so far stalled.
The business of traffickers is still thriving
And new challenges are constantly emerging. After Western troops withdrew from Afghanistan, more and more people from that country are seeking protection in Europe. In Germany alone, nearly 1,500 Afghans sought asylum in June, an increase of 300 percent from June 2020.
The rise of a new migration wave also affects Bulgaria. A few days ago, a network of human traffickers was broken in Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary, 14 alleged members of a criminal group and 35 drivers of vehicles used to transport migrants were arrested. In recent months, the group has transferred at least 350 people from Turkey to Greece and further to Central Europe. It is estimated that traffickers have earned more than 700,000 euros from the transfer of these people through Greece alone.
– .
