Ylva Johansson calls on EU countries to help Italy with migrants

The EU’s commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, on Monday called for the bloc’s countries to show “solidarity” with Italy after it took on more than 1,400 migrants arriving on boats over the weekend. https://www.eudebates.tv/debates/spec... “I call on other member states to support with relocation” of the migrants, many of whom are expected to apply for asylum, she told a media conference alongside UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. #eudebates #migrants #Turkey #Syria #migrationflows #Migrants #refugees #Asylum #Malta #Italy #Mediterranean #IllegalMigrants #Libya “I know it’s more difficult in these pandemic times but I think it’s possible to manage, and now it’s time to show solidarity towards Italy and to help in this situation,” she said. The migrants aboard around 15 boats arrived on Italy’s island of Lampedusa. Johansson on Monday spoke by telephone with Italy’s interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, and said her office was contacting other EU countries and asking them to take in the migrants. The incident exposed the lack of consensus among the EU on how to handle irregular migrants flows so that the burden does not fall on a few countries, mainly Greece and Italy. Efforts to reform the current system have been frustrated by some EU countries refusing to host quotas of migrants and demanding faster screening and repatriation of those deemed not to be in genuine need of asylum. Johansson and Grandi said the situation showed the need for a new pact proposed by the commission seven months ago to be adopted. “We need also a temporary arrangement to deal with the situation before we have the pact adopted,” Johansson said. Grandi added that, in terms of the weekend landings in Italy, “we’re talking of manageable numbers” to distribute among EU members. He also said there has been “a lot of loss of lives” in the past few weeks as migrants seek to cross the Mediterranean to Europe from North African countries, especially Libya. He added: “We need to stop the pushbacks that are happening all along external borders of the EU and we need a mechanism to investigate those pushbacks when they happen.” https://www.eudebates.tv/ #eudebates United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi Thank you very much, thank you Ylva. I just want to echo what Commissioner [for Home Affairs] Johansson just said. I’m here for two-three days in Brussels for a number of meetings. The fact that over this weekend, we have witnessed again arrivals through the Central Mediterranean is further proof that we do need the [European] Pact [on Migration and Asylum]. Europe needs a predictable mechanism to deal with these matters. Yes, there were several boats coming, but we’re talking about manageable numbers. Through a rational and agreed mechanism, this would be very manageable, in our opinion. Even if, as always in the beginning of the summer, there are more arrivals – what we need is a more and more predictable, more efficient State-led mechanism to rescue people at sea, because we’ve also seen in the last few weeks a lot of loss of life. We need, of course, a predictable mechanism for disembarkation and relocation. We need to stop the pushbacks that are happening all along the external border of the European Union. And we need a mechanism to investigate those pushbacks when they happen. And I fully agree with the Commissioner – we need a mechanism that balances proper arrival arrangements with solidarity through relocation. I personally think that this is the least that Europe could put in place. Let’s not forget that when we talk about sharing the responsibility for refugees, asylum seekers and other people of concern to my organization [UN Refugee Agency], 90 per cent of those people around the world are not rich counties. They are in Africa, they in the Middle East, they are in Asia. So what we’re asking of Europe is something that other countries are already doing quite substantively, as we have seen even throughout the pandemic. We also need clearly, and that’s what we also discussed with the Commissioner Johansson - we need a good efficient and fair, rights-based, but nevertheless fair, mechanism of return to their countries of those that are not recognized as refugees. And this mechanism needs the support also of the countries to which they would be returned. Finally, two more points that are also very important aspects of the proposed Pact. One is stepping up resettlement, meaning European States taking refugees from other countries where they are already refugees - like Lebanon for example, Turkey, Kenya, Pakistan and so forth. And I am very happy that the Commission is increasing its initiatives to encourage States to do more resettlement to provide safe pathways for refugees that could come to Europe and avoid going through dangerous routes. ...