EU 'must share burden of asylum'

[Aptrgangr]

EU 'must share burden of asylum'


A group of migrants was rescued after days clinging to a tuna net

European Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini has criticised EU member states for not sharing the burden of handling refugees.

More than 180,000 people sought asylum in the EU in 2006, including a steady flow of African migrants crossing to the EU's southern border.

Mr Frattini said not enough help was being given to countries on the EU's frontline, such as Spain and Malta.

He also urged members to honour pledges to give boats to the EU border agency.

Death in the Mediterranean
Mr Frattini was speaking days after a dispute between Malta and Libya left more than 20 African migrants clinging to a tuna net for three days, before they were finally picked up by the Italian navy.

Eighteen dead bodies were also recently picked up floating near the Maltese coast by a French ship.

"It was shocking to see people dying in the Mediterranean," he said.

He complained that only one tenth of the 115 boats, 25 helicopters and 23 planes promised to Frontex, the EU border agency, had been handed over.

Mr Frattini also announced a consultation on European Commission plans to shake up the EU asylum system.

A green paper proposes sharing the cost of handling asylum seekers, and resettling migrants from the countries where they arrive in the EU, to other parts of the bloc.

Existing EU rules say that migrants can be returned by any EU country to the first EU country they entered, but the Commission says this leaves countries near the edges of the bloc exposed.

Harmonisation
Mr Frattini also wants to greater harmonisation of the rules for handling asylum applications.

"This will promote EU solidarity and reduce the phenomenon of 'asylum shopping' where applicants move around the EU mainly because of the diversity in member states' applicable rules," the commission says.

According to the UN, 84% of applicants from Chechnya are granted refugee status in Austria, compared to 42% in France, 23% in Germany and 0% in Slovakia.

The green paper also restates an intention to draw up a list of "safe" countries, from which it would not be possible to claim asylum.

More than 30,000 African migrants landed by boat in Spain's Canary Islands last year, many of them seeking refugee status.

The UK, France, Sweden and Germany each deal with more than 20,000 asylum requests per year.

At the other end of the scale, Estonia had only five asylum requests in 2006, followed by Latvia with 10.

BBC NEWS | Europe | EU \'must share burden of asylum\'

[Errigal]

The German Navy is far too busy "intercepting arms shipments along Lebanon's coastline following Israel's war with the Shiite movement Hezbollah."

German Navy Takes Control of Lebanese Waters | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 15.10.2006

[Menydh]

The news that have taken this time Franco Frattini to open his big mouth were posted and commented on the Immigration and Social Trends News forum: http://forum.stirpes.net/immigration...g-says-eu.html

Originally Posted by Errigal

The German Navy is far too busy "intercepting arms shipments along Lebanon's coastline following Israel's war with the Shiite movement Hezbollah."

German Navy Takes Control of Lebanese Waters | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 15.10.2006

You surely make a good point here, which I'm sure that Aptrgangr will agree with this time. For a change..

[Aptrgangr]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

The news that have taken this time Franco Frattini to open his big mouth were posted and commented on the Immigration and Social Trends News forum: http://forum.stirpes.net/immigration...g-says-eu.html

Franco Frattini should come to my town, without bodyguards, in order to learn how rare (and peaceful) all the asylum seekers are here.

Originally Posted by Errigal

The German Navy is far too busy "intercepting arms shipments along Lebanon's coastline following Israel's war with the Shiite movement Hezbollah."

German Navy Takes Control of Lebanese Waters | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 15.10.2006

First of all, Errigal will be pleased to hear the FRG navy does anything but intercepting vessels of the Shiite movement Hezbollah, because firstly the navy may not patrol waters near the cost where smugglers use to navigate and secondly because Lebanese/Hezbollah officers on board of the FRG navy vessels make sure the observations are not made too thoroughly. An additional plague are Israeli F-16 fighterbombers that fly attacks with acoustic bombs on vessels and intercept vessel based naval helicopters.
However, in my opinion the German (as well as the Swedish, Italian and others) ships must be brought home immediately, it is insane to waste money and threaten lifes of our sailors there. As isolationist I am not in favour of sending troops eanywhere, surely I would agree to help a close ally like Italy on request. But actually naval patrol vessels resp. the lack of these is not the issue here. We have to remove these insane asylum laws that makes immigrants come here. If here was no asylum granted for anyyone coming from anywhere because of any reason, we would not have this problem, very simple.

[Errigal]

Originally Posted by Aptrgangr

[...]

We have to remove these insane asylum laws that makes immigrants come here. If here was no asylum granted for anyyone coming from anywhere because of any reason, we would not have this problem, very simple.

Very true; if we remove the bait they will no longer be attracted. The laws must be changed and everyone in the most isolated village in the Third World must learn the door has been closed.

[Heretik]

Asylum is a safer way of immigration than illegal immigration.
It should be closely monitored and reduced. Especially in the W. Europe.
Croatia gave only one asylum to an asylum seeker for now and I'm affraid to think what will happen when we enter the EU.

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Katera

I'm affraid to think what will happen when we enter the EU.

It's easy to know what will happen. You'll get so full of immigrants that a wave of nostalgy for the old Yugoslavia will invade your hearts.

Anyway, one thing of asylum laws is that every other national from a third world country is elligible to asylum because of the characteristics of those countries.

[Heretik]

Well, of course I know what will happen. But I don't like to think about it. That's why I'm affraid.
Maybe we'll get some slack for being a small country.
Who knows. I seriously doubt it but...

[Menydh]

Given the geographical location, Turks and Albanians are likely to target Croatia for immigration.

[Sergius]

At the moment, Turks are more likely to settle in Bulgaria (read about their presence and "linguistic oppression" here). That will probably change when Croatia enters the Union.

Turkish immgrants will seek out the host country that offers them the highest standard of living.

Croatians have a higher standard of living than Bulgarians, and you are heading towards EU membership.

[Heretik]

I'll have to see what our government has to say about immigration. For now it's OK...

These days our gov. is just worried how to get into NATO (without a public poll!!!) and EU. Morons!

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Katera

These days our gov. is just worried how to get into NATO (without a public poll!!!) and EU. Morons!

You are surprised? Socialists in Spain spent years campaigning against NATO: OTAN DE ENTRADA, NO (NATO by principle, NO).

As soon as they came into office they made the impossible to join NATO. One of those Socialists, is today NATO secretary-general Javier Solana.

[Heretik]

I'm just surprised they (I mean we, the Croats) will enter NATO without a referendum.
And they call themselves Croatian Democrats Party.

[Menydh]

The referedum for the access of Spain to NATO obtained only a 52.49% of support. That is clearly insufficient to enrole a country in a military alliance like NATO. Yet it was enough for them.