At the G7 summit in Sicily, Donald Trump showed no interest in the refugee crisis in the hosts. Now, Italy threatens to block his ports for NGO-ships with refugees. The political pressure is too great.
Italy is not relieved of the obligation to the humanitarian intake of refugees, but it could not refuse the landing of refugee ships sailing under the Italian flag or in the framework of the EU Mission, it is said from Rome. At the G20 preparatory meeting in Berlin, the Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, said: “Italy is a country that is under pressure and asked for a specific contribution of our allies.” He wanted to make his colleagues clearly, “how big is our concern in relation to the risk of a further rise in the number of incoming refugees.” Gentiloni want about the role of aid organisations, the European Frontex Mission, on repatriation programs and the funds available for Libya and other African countries is spoken. These problems need to be addressed together.
Threat as a distress signal
The pressure on the government to Paolo Gentiloni, because the number of in Italy, incoming refugees continues to rise. This year, around 15% more than in 2016, have already arrived over 70,000 new migrants. Over 10,000 people are currently on Board the vessels of the Maritime search and rescue on the way to Italian ports. Most of them come from Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Guinea, but also Egyptians and Syrians make use of this escape route, since the Balkan route is closed.
In Italy, the political tone is sharper, because it is not only the extreme-right Lega Nord, but also the 5 star movement from battles to the Situation and won the last regional elections, with a sharp anti-foreigner slogans votes.
With the threat against the sea-rescuer, the social democratic government in Rome now the ripcord. “It is a Declaration of bankruptcy for the EU member States, Italy (it) threat urged,” says the MEP Arne Lietz, the supports for two years, the rescue ship “SOS Méditerranée”. The European countries steal from the responsibility, complains Lietz, particularly as regards search and rescue, and humanitarian aid; approximately 2000 people were drowned, according to UN estimates, this year in the Mediterranean sea.
In June, were rescued within two days of the 8000 people in front of the Libyan coast
The redistribution is a Chimera
In September 2015, the EU countries decided to 160,000 people from Greece and Italy to record and redistribute. The Italian government had been promised, around 35,000 refugees to take off, only about 5,000 were actually. Already at the EU summit in the last week, Italy has drawn attention once more to his Problem, as in the case of a dozen of previous Meeting: with no success.
A spokesman for the EU Commission promised to Italy now for more financial aid, only about Rome in the first place. “The other member countries must redouble their efforts to help Italy”, Brussels, but it is nothing to see. In the next week at the Meeting of EU interior Ministers in Tallinn, Estonia will once again be on the topic of this talk.
Meanwhile, a discussion on the International law of the sea starts: Could start the ships of the NGOs may also have ports in Spain or France, instead of driving to the nearest Italy, and so already for the redistribution? “The regulation speaks from the nearest port, where the Rescued to safety,” notes a spokesman for Doctors without borders in Brussels. His organization, which currently has two ships in the Region, has not been informed yet about a Blockade of Italian ports. If you wanted to wait; so far, the missions of the Savior would be controlled more by the Italian authorities, the Maritime co-ordination centre in Rome.
Doctors without borders and SOS Méditeranée refugees save the ship Aquarius
NGOs as a helper of the tractor?
The EU border protection Agency Frontex, recently launched a debate on the role of the Maritime search and rescue: would you make use of to helpers of the traffickers and smugglers, on the Libyan coast, the refugees in seeuntaugliche boats pens in the certainty that you will be rescued by the international helpers, so the accusation.
But the rescue was not the Problem, says the Green MEP Barbara Lochbihler: “The foreclosure policy of the EU is driving people into the arms of touts. And the inability of the community to share the responsibility, is pushing the Italian government to the rescue stop”. The Green require a legal entry routes for refugees and migrant workers.
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Aid organisations in Italy under pressure
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Aid organisations in Italy under pressure
Also refugee Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, and the Italian Ambassador to the EU has delivered in Brussels on Wednesday, the threat from Rome, acknowledges: “Italy is under pressure, all member States must play their part and show solidarity.” Apart from that, it is a humanitarian obligation to save lives. The Commission itself, however, can do little to enforce this solidarity. The actions of some of the Eastern European countries against the decision to the forced redistribution of refugees are running from there, no help is to be expected. Germany met its quota and says otherwise, that it had done in the refugee crisis. Other large countries such as France and the UK are shying away.
Libya in Chaos
In may, German interior Minister Lothar de Maizière and his Italian colleague, Marco had pushed Minniti, to send an EU Mission on the border between Niger and Libya, to the African refugees of the trip to Europe. But the risks are high: a UN was detained convoy in the vicinity of Tripoli will temporarily by the militia. And all Attempts by the Europeans to work together with the different groups in Libya, were previously given the chaotic situation unsuccessfully. A quick solution on North African soil – and the recent decisions of the EU were-the Minister of the interior – is not to be expected. There is still a very radical solution, the Minister Sebastian represents the Austrian foreign Short: He wants to sell all of the rescued refugees at the Libyan coast.