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meOn Wednesday night, the Moria refugee camp caught fire and was almost completely burned. Since then, more than 12,000 migrants have been left homeless on the Greek island of Lesbos. What’s Next And what is the cause of past failures? A look at the European press.
“La Vanguardia” (Spain): “The Greek government is the main responsible”
“Thousands of refugees, whose already few belongings were destroyed by fire in the crowded camp, are now roaming the island or trying to reach the capital, Mytilene. The dangers refugees face after losing any place to stay are immense. The pandemic has also increased the dangers to the island’s population.
The daily misery that the refugees were already exposed to before the fire broke out on European soil. On an external European border, yes, just a few kilometers from the Turkish coast. But in Europe. The Greek government is the main responsible. The European Union, to which Greece belongs and which must not remain indifferent to such a drama that has been unfolding on its territory for years, is also responsible ”.
“Adresseavisen” (Norway): “We should have brought the children from Moria a long time ago”
“So there had to be a big fire for Norway to keep its promise. Norway is a very wealthy country and has a long tradition of helping people in need. We should have responded earlier. We agree with Erna Solberg that it should be a joint European act to help children in refugee camps …
Unfortunately, Greece cannot accept everyone who comes. That is why other European countries have a duty to help in crisis situations. The crisis lasted a long time in Moria and other camps. The fact that Norway now accepts 50 people should be seen as a start. “
“De Volkskrant” (Holland): “Secret agenda in most European capitals”
“The EU states are now declaring their solidarity with Greece in all respects. This is a cover. It took a long time, but now the crown pandemic has also fully exposed the failure of European immigration policy. The closure in the Moria refugee camp was the trigger for the devastation of the camp on Tuesday night …
The EU offers practical and financial help. Meanwhile, there should be no misunderstandings about the secret agenda in most European capitals. For years, the Greek refugee camps have served primarily as a warning to anyone in Africa and Asia who is thinking of trying their luck in Europe: don’t do it, because here you will be trapped in the Greek swamp. “
“The Irish Times” (Ireland): “Europe is increasingly hostile”
“What is most needed now are tents and basic supplies. But this tragedy has also drawn attention to the long-term future of stranded refugees in an increasingly hostile Europe. The EU heads of state and government promised immediate help. And there were some offers to accept migrants: A German federal state agreed to house 1,000 of the camp’s residents as part of a larger resettlement program. The top priority must be an urgent new approach in Brussels on a common EU strategy for the resettlement of refugees. “
“De Standaard” (Belgium): “Symbol of apparently deliberate decline”
“Moria was a time bomb, crowded, there wasn’t even enough water and electricity. Refugees had to wait years for a “trial”, and all that within the European Union.
Greece feels abandoned as a ‘border country’ because other EU countries do not want to accept the refugees. He also denounces Turkey, which regularly ‘turns on the tap’. Moria has become a symbol of seemingly deliberate decline. As if other refugees and migrants were to be deterred …
The first political reactions to the fire also say it all. EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson yesterday promised money to bring 400 children from Moria to the continent. To where the host camps are already full. “
“Le Figaro” (France): “Angela Merkel in distress”
“The fire at the reception center for migrants and refugees in Moria on the island of Lesbos has put the government of Angela Merkel in a desperate situation … The Greens, the Liberals, the radical left (the left) and part of the Social Democrats strongly criticize one as Migration policy is too timid, even though the country has hosted more than a million refugees in five years. The AfD, on the other hand, sees the tragedy of Lesbos as the fruit of a German policy that (the AfD) considers too attractive and which it accuses of having created a pull.
This situation, and in particular the great fear of the extreme right, is causing problems for the government of Angela Merkel. According to Paris, this would explain the reluctance of the German ally, who (currently) holds the presidency of the EU Council, to push for a joint agreement on the distribution of asylum seekers in Brussels. “
“NZZ” (Switzerland): “It is about remedying a political failure”
“There will be no common European asylum and migration policy for the foreseeable future. The positions in the EU member states are too different. But that does not mean simply accepting the unsustainable conditions of the Greek islands. Rather, the vent should be used to be able to act on at least three zones. First, asylum systems at the external border must be raised to a level where a decision can be made within a few months on whether an applicant is entitled to protection or not. Second, return agreements will be signed with the countries of origin linked to economic incentives and the possibility of legal migration. And thirdly, those states that are willing to accept recognized refugees should regulate their distribution among themselves in a binding manner.
The Lesbos disaster does not require primarily a humanitarian response, but a systemic, that is, political one. It is about remedying a political failure that has brought unnecessary suffering to tens of thousands over the years. “
“Tages-Anzeiger” (Switzerland): “Many do not have the right to asylum”
“The Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos was a disgrace even before the fire. Now that a fire has destroyed the countryside, it has clearly become a symbol of Europe’s failure …
Finally we would need European asylum centers with standardized procedures along the external borders. And European return agreements with the most important countries of origin. If asylum procedures no longer last infinitely and the returns of rejected migrants are no longer the exception, the issue of redistribution, which has blocked all European asylum reforms so far, would cease to be politically sensitive. Many stranded in Moria have no right to asylum. Europe cannot accept all those fleeing economic misery. But Europe must treat all who come humanely until their status of residence is cleared. “
