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Less than a week after the devastating fire in the Moria Greek refugee camp, the German government agreed to accept more refugees from Greece. Another 1,553 people from 408 families on the Greek islands should find protection in Germany, the CDU, CDU and SPD agreed on Tuesday. In addition to those provided above, up to 150 unaccompanied minors will be admitted.
“As a government, we have reached an agreement on what must be done,” said Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer presented the agreement at the CDU / CSU parliamentary group. The Union’s parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus said he would have preferred an agreement in a European context.
The coalition partners reached an agreement based on an understanding first found by Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) for the Union. Therefore, Seehofer agreed to take in about 1,500 people from families recognized as needing protection, in addition to up to 150 children.
SPD leader Saskia Esken had demanded a significantly higher four-digit number on Sunday. Together with Scholz, she welcomed the agreement that had been reached, as Germany had thus declared an independent program. As a third step, a European solution will be sought in which Germany welcomes more refugees. This was immediately questioned in the Union.
Greek authorities assume that the Moria refugee camp, which had been desperately overcrowded for years, was set on fire by migrants last week.
The situation there had previously escalated after several asylum seekers tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 12,000 migrants were left homeless after the fire in the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos. According to the Greek state broadcaster ERT, five people have been arrested for starting the fire in the camp. Another man is wanted, they say.
Austria rejects the German style
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder accused Austria of refusing to accept refugees from Moria. He was disappointed in the Vienna government for not giving up its rigid stance in favor of “a little more cordiality,” said the head of the CSU in Munich.
Austria had previously announced that it would not participate in the German plans. “We will not follow the German route here,” the Austrian head of government said when he visited a barracks in Lower Austria, according to the “Bild” newspaper. “I also assume that many European countries will not follow this path, hosting large numbers of refugees from Greece. Here in Austria we have hosted a very, very high number of refugees in recent years. “
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Seehofer announced on Friday that Germany will accept 100 to 150 young people out of a total of 400 unaccompanied minors who will be taken from Greece to other European countries. He also emphasized that in a second step they would then talk to Athens about accepting families with children.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior wants to send a delegation to Lesbos to see who needs more protection. The goal is to use “objective criteria” in the selection, “so that there are no uncontrollable consequences,” the ministry said.
Greece wants to keep refugees on the island
The federal government wanted to decide before Wednesday if and how more refugees from Lesbos will come to Germany. But the heated debate in Germany over the admission of refugees could prove superfluous: Greece does not want refugees to leave the island of Lesbos under any circumstances.
As Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made clear again on Monday: The Greek government will not allow itself to be blackmailed. “There is no doubt that Moria was burned by some hyperactive refugees and migrants who wanted to blackmail the government by burning Moria and demanding his immediate relocation from the island,” Tagesschau said, quoting Tagesschau.
For this reason, all the refugees would have to stay on the island and move to a new camp.
The Greek government fears copycat effects in other refugee camps. There are currently a handful of slum camps on the Greek islands, where the situation is no better than in Moria.
Instead, the Greek government proposes that EU countries host refugees who have completed their asylum procedures and who were living in mainland Greece. Germany has already been informed of this, the Greek prime minister said. The EU should also help itself with the construction and operation of new warehouses.
Greece’s largest refugee camp was almost completely destroyed by several fires last week. Around 11,500 people were left homeless, including 4,000 children. Thousands of former residents of the camp, including pregnant women and families with young children, have been outdoors since then. Many are now completely exhausted, hungry and thirsty.
On Tuesday, another fire broke out on the Greek island of Samos, near the refugee camp there. “There is a fire on the edge of the registration center,” said Vathy Mayor Giorgos Stantzos of the German press agency. “There are no burning tents yet, but I’m worried.” Corresponding images and videos of a large fire source were posted on social media. According to Greek media, the fire broke out between 200 and 300 meters above the refugee camp.
Since then, Greek politicians have warned against the “Moria tactic”, according to which fires could also start in other refugee camps on the islands of Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos, especially if the people of Lesbos are now taken away. to the continent or to the center and north of Europe. would do. In view of the burning camp, the migrants in Lesbos are demanding that they be allowed to leave the island immediately. However, most of them have yet to complete their asylum applications. The Greek government insists that migrants must go through the normal asylum process. (Tsp, dpa, AFP)
