Everyone For Themselves! Brussels Scrambles to Find Sucker Country Willing to Take in Migrant Wave
Libya flatly refused to host refugee camps, as the Chairman of the Presidential Council declared after holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Salvini. Salvini had arrived in Tripoli a few days before an EU summit, which is supposed to address the migration crisis.
Asya Yemelyanova is reporting on the EU's vision in this regard.
Since Italy has no illusions regarding the summit which will take place this Thursday, it has started acting independently. In the morning, Matteo Salvini set off for Tripoli. Before taking off, Italy's Minister of the Interior publicly announced his visit by posting photos from a military aircraft on his Facebook page and writing "Libyan Mission! Let's Go". That wasn't simply a "hello" to millions of readers; the Brussels is changing the Dublin agreement and is not eager to help Italy.
Matteo Salvini, Italian Minister of the Interior: "New refugee camps and new hotspots in Italy would create a problem both for us and for Libya because this doesn't solve the issue of mass deaths in the sea. I suggest building refugee centers in Libya, on its southern borders".
"Hotspots” are reception centers for migrants; so far, Salvini had no luck in convincing his Libyan counterpart to construct them. Italy suggests that before migrants hop on board a rescue ship, they have to go through medical control, fingerprint collection and the process of selecting those who have the right to asylum in Europe. According to the Ministry of the Interior, only 7 of 100 migrants flee from the war, hunger and have the right to stay. However, everyone makes the requests, which demands time, money, shelters, food. And Italy is responsible for providing all that.
Prime Minister Conte brought 10 specific proposals to the pre-summit meeting on June 24. In response, he only got standard handshakes, public promises of support in times of trouble in front of cameras; and tough criticism behind the scenes.
Nathalie Loiseau, French Minister for European Affairs: "This year France has already received more migrants than Italy. Therefore, the generosity of our country cannot be questioned, especially by Mr. Salvini, who refuses to accept migrants in order to raise his political status".
Brussels is still hoping for a miracle, that the Mediterranean will calm down; that those who refuse to accept migrants on a just principle of quotas will come to their senses. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic — the leaders of the Visegrád Group — did not show up at the meeting in Brussels at all.
Emmanuel Macron, as if an experienced teacher, suggested punishing the irresponsible members with fines and sanctions.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France: "The EU is facing a political crisis because of the migration issue. We need feasible ideas in order to resolve it. The EU has certain values, and every time we dismiss those values we commit the worst deed".
Italy has been in the spotlight these days; it's been condemned for many things, and now "it has closed all its ports!" In fact, it has closed ports only for humanitarian ships that cooperate with traffickers. "It ordered the Coast Guard to stop saving refugees in the sea!" In fact, it ordered to do so only in the Libyan waters. But the ships of Italy, Frontex, and SafeSeaNet haven't crossed those waters for years as they do not have the right for it.
Migration forecasts for the 2018 summer are quite pessimistic: Dozens of thousands of migrants. No hosts. Another attempt to reach agreement will take place this Thursday.
Asya Yemelyanova, Viktor Kazakov, Vesti, from Italy, South-European Office.