EU holds more migration talks as calls for answers grow

[webfact]

EU holds more migration talks as calls for answers grow
By LORNE COOK

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's two emergency meetings on the migration crisis this week won't provide any quick solutions to ease the plight of tens of thousands of people seeking sanctuary in Europe.

As the EU scrambles to respond to scenes of people charging razor-wire fences, suffocating in trucks or bodies washing up on beaches, unity has crumbled as nations in the 28-member bloc trade barbs over who is to blame.

Nothing on the agenda of the meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday will immediately help countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans to manage their borders now. Or next week.

The inaction certainly won't stop the flow of people moving across Europe, nor will it provide any relief to authorities in individual EU countries trying to slow them down.

Indeed, more than 6,000 people could arrive in Greece alone on Tuesday when interior ministers meet in Brussels and on Wednesday, while EU leaders hold a summit to discuss medium and long-term policy plans.

"The discussions are completely disconnected from reality," Doctors Without Borders humanitarian adviser Aurelie Ponthieu said after she and a colleague briefed an almost-empty European Parliament chamber last week about rescue efforts in the Mediterranean. Most EU lawmakers and senior officials decided instead to go to lunch.

The arrival of about 500,000 people this year, mostly through Greece and Italy, has laid bare fundamental divisions between former Communist countries and partners further West over how to manage migration.

Aid groups are imploring the EU to set up safe corridors for people to enter, while the U.N. refugee agency wants the bloc to take Syrian refugees from Middle Eastern countries and Turkey.

But faced even with a humanitarian emergency, the EU gives priority to debates about unity and policy over immediate action to tackle Europe's biggest refugee challenge in decades.

Wednesday's summit in Brussels is unlikely to be an exception.

"It is essential to establish a credible migration policy," European Council President Donald Tusk said in his invitation letter to the leaders.

Differences over migration "cannot be an excuse not to develop a comprehensive strategy or to build a sound migration policy that is effective and responsible while respecting our core values," he said.

And it won't be the last meeting of its kind. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that the "consultations will be important, but they will not lead to the problem we have being set aside. There cannot and will not be a solution overnight; many more meetings and discussions will follow. We will need patience."

Divisions are starkest when it comes to sharing responsibility for hosting the thousands coming to Europe, around two-thirds of whom could qualify for asylum or some form of international protection.

The Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia are vehemently opposed to any obligatory quotas, while Poland, Latvia and Estonia are also skeptical.

More movement might occur later on Tuesday when interior ministers tackle the quota issue at their second emergency meeting in eight days.

The aim is to endorse a plan to share 120,000 refugees arriving in Italy and debt-laden Greece, and perhaps Hungary, even though Budapest is refusing to take part in this kind of arrangement.

When compared to the 4 million refugees being sheltered in Turkey, Lebanon and impoverished Jordan, the numbers seem paltry for a major world trading power with population of 500 million.

Still, the original plan has been reworked in recent days by ambassadors and experts to try to find some margin for compromise among intractable member states.

Meanwhile, numbers are swelling. An estimated 3,000-4,000 people arrive in Greece each day. Many plan to move north to set up home in Germany, bringing yet more pressure to overburdened borders as they go.
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Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-22

[JetsetBkk]

I've got the answer!

[Hayduke]

Merkel has essentially invited millions of people to a permanent all expense paid European vacation.

Now it seems she wants the other EU countries to pick up the tab.

Several (generally uncomplimentary) terms describing someone who spends other people's money come to mind.

It's Germany's party; why not let them pay for it?

Edited September 22, 2015 by Hayduke

[Boatfreak]

The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained:

https://youtu.be/RvOnXh3NN9w

Only 5% of the Syrian refugees would be hosted in Europe the rest is in the neighboring countries. You hate ISIS but you also hate those that are persecuted by ISIS, even Christians.

If we would take ALL syrians that is 4 000 000 then the percentage of muslims in Europe would rise from 4 to 5 %, what a scary thought, a real invasion.

[Usernames]

Want an answer? Here it is: Send them whence they came.

[gandalf12]

Talking iis all that these idiots in the EU are good for. Actually doing anything scares the hell out of them. Get rid of the lot of thse EU politicians, send the "refugees" back home on flights from their own country or charge the countries for the cost of repatriating them.

[Sam Jones]

Time to stop the Circus called "EU" - there is no longer any reason to keep feeding these greedy politicians ...

Send the Economic Migrants home since they have nothing to do in Europe and all EU-countries do as they like without the corrupt EU politicians dictating everything

[RickBradford]

It's a pity that the "progressive" media is trying to spin this situation, but no surprise.

The BBC, for example, is relentlessly pushing the line that millions of people heading towards Europe are not a "migrant crisis", and that the only crisis is European nations not sharing out the migrants once they get there.

The vast majority of Europeans think a "migrant crisis" is the fact that these millions of people are arriving in the first place and demanding to live in only those countries they have decided are good enough for them. Denmark? Nah. We demand to go to Sweden. France? No way. We demand to go to England.

Edited September 22, 2015 by RickBradford

[Baerboxer]

Merkel has essentially invited millions of people to a permanent all expense paid European vacation.

Now it seems she wants the other EU countries to pick up the tab.

Several (generally uncomplimentary) terms describing someone who spends other people's money come to mind.

It's Germany's party; why not let them pay for it?

Merkel hopes to use this to show how important a closer more centralized EU government would be better. Quicker and decisive decisions, no decent, no right of appeal. That way she, because of course Germany would lead such a government, manage it and make all decisions that suit German interests,could issue quotas as she saw fit.

A dangerous woman in league with a dangerous man in Juncker.

[simple1]

Merkel made it clear she was referring to the Syrians fleeing war and persecution, any identified as 'economic refugees' will be denied permission to stay. The reported percentages vary, practically day by day, but at the moment the number of Syrians trying to enter the EU are estimated to be anywhere from 20% to 38% of the total. As an example Germany has estimated as high as 40% of those claiming refugee status upon entering Germany originate from Balkan countries, all of these people will be denied permission to stay. The German government is in the process of firming up legislation to enable law enforcement to take more rigorous action to deport those denied asylum.

IMO it is fair to say Merkel erred on offering an open door policy for Syrians thereby creating the rush for the German borders. She should have followed the example of some other Western government to only accept those who have been initially vetted by UNHCR, then subjected to security checks, from the countries bordering Syria. With winter coming the flow of refugees will rapidly decrease, hopefully this will provide a breathing space for the EU countries to co-ordinate policy and put in-place appropriate legislation to deal with refugee / asylum seeker matters. Belatedly additional funding is being allocated for the support of refugees which should also slow the exodus from countries bordering Syria. In the meantime the conflict with Islamist groups and evil dictators such as Assad will continue for a number of years, generating an ever increasing refugee population..

[godden]

I would hang all EU politicians end of story

[thaibeachlovers]

Hard to know what to say, but if they sit around and talk, without doing anything, it is probably a good thing. It only gets dangerous when they actually decide to do something, as they usually make things worse.

While they yak, the countries actually involved are starting to put up the razor wire, and get out the tear gas. The bogus "refugees" have stuffed it for the genuine ones.

Hard to see how it will end. If they can't move north, how is Greece going to cope with hundreds of thousands of homeless people, when they can't help their own people?

[baboon]

It's a pity that the "progressive" media is trying to spin this situation, but no surprise.

The BBC, for example, is relentlessly pushing the line that millions of people heading towards Europe are not a "migrant crisis", and that the only crisis is European nations not sharing out the migrants once they get there.

I reluctantly have to agree with you about the Beeb, but it doesn't end at the news anymore with them. I had the misfortune of sitting through 'Holby City', (a hospital drama for those of you who aren't familiar) and it was excruciating to watch a once entertaining fictional programme hijacked to blatantly push a pro gay, pro immigration aganda. Now it doesn't matter what position one holds on the subjects; the news and debate programmes should be where such views should be aired, contradicted and debated. Honesty, I was ashamed to call myself left wing after that garbage last night.. Edited September 23, 2015 by baboon

[farangmick]

All these quality tourists heading for Europe. TAT should be persuading them to come here instead.