Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo, Unione Europea

Spagna, Marocco, Unione Europea e migranti, i quali sono usati come arma impropria.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2021-05-20.

Marocco Ceuta 001

L’unica cosa davvero certa è che i migranti non interessano a nulla ed a nessuno, in una montante marea di cinismo agghiacciante.

Ceuta, 8.000 migranti entrano in Spagna. Crisi tra Madrid e il Marocco.

«Ottomila migranti hanno assaltato le barriere tra il Marocco e l’enclave spagnola di Ceuta. Tra loro almeno 1.500 minori»

«Improvvisamente, come per un ordine, migliaia di migranti dal Mali, dal Niger, dal Senegal, ma anche tantissimi marocchini sono partiti a nuoto per aggirare le barriere che si spingono nel mare per decine di metri»

«La maggior parte però è stata tenuta con i piedi in acqua per evitare che, anche simbolicamente, toccassero il suolo europeo»

«A sera meno della metà degli 8mila era già stata espulsa verso il Marocco in base ad un accordo in vigore»

* * *

«Voglio comunicare agli spagnoli, specialmente a quelli che vivono a Ceuta e Melilla, che ristabiliremo l’ordine con la massima celerità. Saremo fermi di fronte a qualsiasi sfida. L’integrità di Ceuta come parte della nazione spagnola sarà garantita dal governo con tutti i mezzi disponibili»

«Prende posizione anche la Commissione Ue. «Non ci faremo intimidire da nessuno, l’Europa non sarà vittima di tattiche» dice il vicepresidente Margaritis Schinas»

* * *

«L’ondata di ieri arriva al culmine di una crisi diplomatica tra Spagna e Marocco che dura da mesi»

«L’ambasciatrice del re Mohamed VI a Madrid, Karima Benyaich, non si è nascosta: «Ci sono azioni che hanno delle conseguenze». Si riferiva alla presenza in un ospedale spagnolo di Brahim Ghali, il leader del Fronte Polisario per l’indipendenza del Sahara Occidentale»

«Ex colonia spagnola, la regione è occupata dal Marocco da trent’anni»

«Pur di aumentare il numero dei Paesi musulmani che riconoscono Israele (Accordi di Abramo), Washington ha accettato la sovranità marocchina sul Sahara Occidentale»

«La diga marocchina contro la migrazione si apre e chiude a comando»

* * * * * * *

Il Marocco è in rotta di collisione con la Spagna e l’Unione Europea.

Unione Europea per la quale il traghetto dei migranti in Italia è cosa buona, giusta e doverosa, mentre, al contrario, l’ingresso di migranti in territorio spagnolo è un vile atto intimidatorio da reprimersi ricorrendo all’esercito.

*


Migranti in Spagna, la «vendetta» del Marocco: in 8mila a Ceuta

Crisi a Ceuta, Pedro Sánchez vola nell’enclave: «Ristabiliremo l’ordine con la massima celerità. La sua integrità come parte della Spagna sarà garantita», dice il primo ministro. La Commissione Ue: non ci saremo intimidire da nessuno.

Ieri, a metà giornata, il primo ministro spagnolo Pedro Sánchez annulla un viaggio a Parigi, vola a Ceuta e parla al Paese. Usa toni gravi, decisi. «Voglio comunicare agli spagnoli, specialmente a quelli che vivono a Ceuta e Melilla, che ristabiliremo l’ordine con la massima celerità. Saremo fermi di fronte a qualsiasi sfida. L’integrità di Ceuta come parte della nazione spagnola sarà garantita dal governo con tutti i mezzi disponibili». Prende posizione anche la Commissione Ue. «Non ci faremo intimidire da nessuno, l’Europa non sarà vittima di tattiche» dice il vicepresidente Margaritis Schinas. Cos’era successo? Ottomila migranti hanno assaltato le barriere tra il Marocco e l’enclave spagnola di Ceuta. Tra loro almeno 1.500 minori. La città costiera, come la gemella Melilla, è l’ultimo frammento dell’impero su cui non tramontava mai il sole. Pochi chilometri quadrati che per il Marocco sono fastidiosi, per la Spagna costosi, per chi tenta di lasciare l’Africa vie d’accesso all’Ue.

Certo più sorvegliate, ma meno letali rispetto a Lampedusa o alle Canarie. La Spagna ha costruito muri alti 20 metri, piazzato filo spinato, posto barriere subacquee e, di solito, la collaborazione della polizia marocchina basta a evitare infiltrazioni. Lunedì e ieri no. Improvvisamente, come per un ordine, migliaia di migranti dal Mali, dal Niger, dal Senegal, ma anche tantissimi marocchini sono partiti a nuoto per aggirare le barriere che si spingono nel mare per decine di metri. Molti sono abitanti della città confinante che, dalla chiusura dei valichi per il Covid un anno fa, hanno perso il lavoro nelle enclavi. Un’ottantina ha tentato lo stesso anche a Melilla. Un centinaio è riuscito ad entrare a Ceuta all’alba di ieri e a disperdersi tra gli 80 mila spagnoli. La maggior parte, invece, è stata fermata sulla spiaggia.

Ci sono state scene strazianti e altre più degne. Qualche blindato militare di Madrid è arrivato sulla sabbia scaricando soldati in giubbotto antiproiettile, elmetto e manganello. Alcuni migranti erano sfiniti e sono stati soccorsi. Tra loro un neonato. I minorenni sono stati separati. La maggior parte però è stata tenuta con i piedi in acqua per evitare che, anche simbolicamente, toccassero il suolo europeo. A sera meno della metà degli 8mila era già stata espulsa verso il Marocco in base ad un accordo in vigore. Gli altri, tranne i minori, dovrebbero essere mandati indietro oggi. Nella notte un migrante è morto annegato. L’ondata di ieri arriva al culmine di una crisi diplomatica tra Spagna e Marocco che dura da mesi. L’ambasciatrice del re Mohamed VI a Madrid, Karima Benyaich, non si è nascosta: «Ci sono azioni che hanno delle conseguenze». Si riferiva alla presenza in un ospedale spagnolo di Brahim Ghali, il leader del Fronte Polisario per l’indipendenza del Sahara Occidentale.

Ex colonia spagnola, la regione è occupata dal Marocco da trent’anni. A dicembre, però, gli Stati Uniti hanno cambiato gli equilibri. Pur di aumentare il numero dei Paesi musulmani che riconoscono Israele (Accordi di Abramo), Washington ha accettato la sovranità marocchina sul Sahara Occidentale. La Spagna ha protestato e quando Ghali ne ha avuto bisogno l’ha ricoverato. La tregua nel Sahara è rotta. Come a suo tempo fece il leader libico Gheddafi, come ha fatto la Turchia di Erdogan, anche il Marocco ha fatto capire che può usare i migranti come merce di scambio. La diga marocchina contro la migrazione si apre e chiude a comando. Tra i due estremi del Mediterraneo la guerra israelo-palestinese e quella del Sahara Occidentale si sono così collegate alla crisi migratoria che preoccupa l’Europa. La Spagna e l’Europa tutta sono avvertite.

Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo, Ong - Ngo, Unione Europea

Grecia. Nuova legge sulle ngo. Nel 2015-2019 hanno sperperato 1.3 mld nel ‘people trafficking’. Solo in Grecia ….

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-06-07.

Atene 003

In Grecia stanno operando 86 ngo, delle quali 73 nazionali e 13 internazionali.

«Greece’s migration and asylum minister, Notis Mitarachi blamed NGOs without providing evidence, for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.»

«politicians from Greece’s ruling party New Democracy, who have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking»

*

Commissione Europea tace ed avvalla la Grecia sul problema dei migranti.

Grecia, Eu e migranti. Liberal socialisti verso l’emarginazione.

Lesbo. Gli abitanti contro i clandestini. La polizia spara. Almeno un morto.

Grecia. Schiera esercito al confine turco contro i migranti.

Grecia respinge con cariche e lacrimogeni 4,000 migranti.

Turkia convoglia migranti in Grecia. Ne ha 950,000.

Grecia. Rivolta armata contro immigrati e centri di raccolta.

Grecia. Exit polls. Nea Demokratia ~40%. Forse maggioranza di seggi. – Aljazeera.

*

I migranti clandestini illegali dal Medio Oriente transitavano in Turkia e di qui buona quota raggiungeva la Grecia. Lo scorso anno la Grecia si è opposta militarmente a questa nuova invasione, invasione peraltro appoggiata sul suolo greco dall’azione delle ngo che si occupano dei migranti. Il Governo greco, cambiato nel luglio dello scorso anno, ha bollato queste ngo come organizzazioni dedite alla ‘tratta dei migranti’, che hanno sperperato 1.3 miliardi nella sola Grecia, tra il 2015-2019. Data l’entità della cifra si possono capire molte cose.

Si noti come l’Unione Europea, nella figura della Commissione Europea, abbia approvato che la Grecia avesse fatto intervenire l’esercito per bloccare una simile invasione, anche usando la forza e le armi.

È del tutto evidente che una situazione del genere necessitava di un intervento governativo, per dare regole e norme chiare e trasparenti alle ngo che operano sul suolo greco, spesso svolgendo azioni in netto contrasto con le decisioni politiche governative.

Le ngo non sono più da considerarsi uno stato dentro lo stato. Ameno in Grecia.

*

Non è questa la prima presa di posizione contro le attività delle ngo.

Libia.Vieta alle ngo la tratta dei migranti.

Europarlamento. Liberal socialisti battuti sulla mozione sui migranti ed ngo.

Russia. Nuova legge sulle ong (ngo). Povero Mr Soros.

Polonia. Scacciare le ong (ngo) di Mr Soros.

Repubblica Ceka. Rivolta aperta contro le ngo di Mr Soros.

Orban contro Soros. Nuova legge sulle Ong.

Unione Europea ed ngo. Un fiume di denaro non tracciabile. I numeri.

*

«New Greek rules stigmatise NGOs working with migrants»

«The Greek government is targeting NGOs working with migrants as part of a politicised effort to curtail asylum»

«New ministerial rules introduced earlier this year and inserted into a wider migration law in May only apply to civil society groups that deals with refugees and asylum»

«Athens says the rules are needed for greater transparency and accountability but NGOs argue they also discriminate and are almost impossible to implement for smaller grassroots organisations»

«the new rules impose extra conditions on the registration of civil society outfits»

«The law maintains a clear discretion on the ministry of migration and asylum to deny registration – even if the requirements are met»

«NGOs that help asylum seekers are now required to register with the ministry of asylum and migration»

«They are also required to be certified should they wish to receive state-level or EU funding. …. they are required to show financial statements dating back two years»

«that it only targets NGOs working with refugees, and requires they get audited by certified auditors, and other bureaucratic obligations, that risk creating a chilling effect.»

«This new process will exclude many organisations because they don’t have the budget to cover this exorbitant costs»

«Greece currently has around 86 registered NGOs working on migration. Of those, 73 are national and 13 international.»

«The previous government in Greece, voted out of power last summer, had set up a registry for NGOs»

«As it stands, the law seems to have been activated in order to punish and exclude NGOs from public affairs instead of regulating their action by integrating them into a transparent and accountable collaborative framework with the state and citizens»

«politicians from Greece’s ruling party New Democracy, who have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking»

«Greece’s migration and asylum minister, Notis Mitarachi blamed NGOs without providing evidence, for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.»

* * * * * * *

La rivolta contro le ngo prosegue.

«minister …. blamed NGOs …. for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.»

«politicians …. have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking»

E la Commissione Europea tace.

*


Eu Observer. New Greek rules stigmatise NGOs working with migrants

The Greek government is targeting NGOs working with migrants as part of a politicised effort to curtail asylum.

New ministerial rules introduced earlier this year and inserted into a wider migration law in May only apply to civil society groups that deals with refugees and asylum.

Athens says the rules are needed for greater transparency and accountability but NGOs argue they also discriminate and are almost impossible to implement for smaller grassroots organisations.

Drafted by the Greek ministry of finance and the ministry of migration and asylum, the new rules impose extra conditions on the registration of civil society outfits.

“The law maintains a clear discretion on the ministry of migration and asylum to deny registration – even if the requirements are met,” said Minos Mouzourakis, a legal officer at Refugee Support Aegean.

NGOs that help asylum seekers are now required to register with the ministry of asylum and migration. They are also required to be certified should they wish to receive state-level or EU funding.

In affect, the rules essentially prevent new NGOs from registering – because they are required to show financial statements dating back two years.

Chilling effect

Melina Spathari at Terre des Hommes Hellas, an international NGO, says a centralised updated registry of NGOs will enhance transparency.

But she pointed out that it only targets NGOs working with refugees, and requires they get audited by certified auditors, and other bureaucratic obligations, that risk creating a chilling effect.

“This new process will exclude many organisations because they don’t have the budget to cover this exorbitant costs. We are talking about very small civil society organisations, grass roots,” she said.

It also means asylum seekers and refugees may stand to lose out given many rely on the NGOs for basic needs in Greece.

Greece currently has around 86 registered NGOs working on migration. Of those, 73 are national and 13 international.

The previous government in Greece, voted out of power last summer, had set up a registry for NGOs. But the new registry for NGO staff created earlier this year is adding a whole new layer of requirements.

“This has happened in the context of a deteriorating public narrative around NGOs and specifically NGOs that work with asylum seekers and migrants and people on the move in general,” said Adriana Tidona, a researcher on migration at Amnesty International’s European office.

Tidona says the new rules are posing serious questions when it comes to the freedom of association, the freedom of expression, discrimination and the right to privacy.

“It is also concerning that the registration is basically entrusted to an authority which is not independent from the government,” she said.

Also known as the ‘special coordinating secretary’, it can approve or revoke registrations at any moment.

Doctors of the World Greece said the secretary’s power is too great, noting it will be able to reject an application even if all the legal requirements are met.

“As it stands, the law seems to have been activated in order to punish and exclude NGOs from public affairs instead of regulating their action by integrating them into a transparent and accountable collaborative framework with the state and citizens,” said Elli Xenou at Doctors of the World Greece.

Such moves appear to align with public statements made by politicians from Greece’s ruling party New Democracy, who have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking.

More recently, Greece’s migration and asylum minister, Notis Mitarachi blamed NGOs without providing evidence, for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.

Tacit support

The move comes amid heightened tensions over migration following Turkey’s failed bid to send thousands of refugee hopefuls into Greece in March.

It also comes amid ongoing silence by a European Commission on alleged rights abuses in Greece after the country suspended asylum applications for a month.

Asked to comment on the new rules, the European Commission has yet to respond to this website.

But in March, the European Commission’s vice-president Margaritis Schinas tasked to promote ‘our European way of life’ offered a clue.

“EU support will be unequivocal,” said Schinas when asked about Greece suspending asylum claims.

Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo, Unione Europea

Malta. Vergato con la Libia un accordo per bloccare i migranti.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-06-05.

Malta 013

Malta. Migranti. Navi corsare. Riferiti dodici morti, testimonianza dubbia.

Migranti. Malta è tornata con successo ai vecchi metodi medievali.

Malta. Denuncia la Francia, abbandona l’Operazione Irini e pone il veto sui migranti.

Malta rimanda in Libia i migranti intercettati in mare. A bastonate.

Latest Tactic to Push Migrants From Europe? A Private, Clandestine Fleet.

*

«Malta’s new prime minister was recently in war-torn Tripoli to strike deals on migrants, as Libya continues to fall apart»

«The Maltese delegation flew in to Mitiga airport at 9AM on the morning of 28 May, drove in a convoy to the city centre to meet the EU and UN-recognised Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj, signed a new deal to help stop migrants coming to Europe, and flew out again at 3PM»

«The migrant deal appears to be limited to opening two “coordination” offices, one in Malta and one in Libya»

«It comes as Maltese prime minister Robert Abela wrestles with a series of accusations on how his navy mistreated migrant boats in recent weeks»

«Malta, a micro-state of less than half a million people, already hosts about 50,000 migrants and wants more EU solidarity»

«Abela also discussed the pandemic and arms smuggling on his short trip»

«Some 14 Russian warplanes painted in neutral colours, and hundreds of Russian mercenaries have now joined him [Khalifa Haftar] to help»

«And Moscow printed €1bn in counterfeit Libyan dinars that it was to ship to Haftar, but which was intercepted in Malta»

«But the modern Russian warplanes marked “a substantial further escalation”»

«while most EU and Nato states back al-Sarraj, France has given diplomatic and military assistance to Haftar»

* * * * * * *

Riassumiamo.

Alcuni stati del blocco europeo sono schierati con al-Sarraj, mentre altri, Francia in testa, supportano Haftar.

I russi invece aiutano militarmente Haftar, cui donano miliardi di dinari libici falsificati ad arte.

Malta, stanca di essere lasciata sola, oltre alle azioni militari o paramilitari, adesso tenta anche la via di un accordo.

Si profila un conflitto di lunga durata, con il blocco europeo attivo come uno scoglio.

*


Malta fiddles on migrants, as Libya burns

Malta’s new prime minister was recently in war-torn Tripoli to strike deals on migrants, as Libya continues to fall apart.

The Maltese delegation flew in to Mitiga airport at 9AM on the morning of 28 May, drove in a convoy to the city centre to meet the EU and UN-recognised Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj, signed a new deal to help stop migrants coming to Europe, and flew out again at 3PM.

The migrant deal appears to be limited to opening two “coordination” offices, one in Malta and one in Libya, with Malta declining to give more details.

It comes as Maltese prime minister Robert Abela wrestles with a series of accusations on how his navy mistreated migrant boats in recent weeks.

Malta, a micro-state of less than half a million people, already hosts about 50,000 migrants and wants more EU solidarity.

But on the the other hand, Libya, which is home to some 800,000 irregular migrants, has been accused of gross violations of human rights in detention centres, with the UN saying it was not safe to send people back.

Abela also discussed the pandemic and arms smuggling on his short trip.

And Tripoli itself appeared peaceful on the day.

“I saw a few buildings marked by shells or bullets, but the city was quiet and we couldn’t hear any sounds of fighting,” a source on the Maltese delegation told EUobserver.

But Abela did see, first hand, what the war was like when he drove past the remains of passenger planes and helicopters in a field adjacent to Mitiga airport, which had been destroyed by shelling not long before his arrival.

Shells recently struck the vicinity of the Italian embassy.

And three days after Abela flew out, fresh salvos fired by the forces of a Russian-backed warlord, Khalifa Haftar, who is trying to overthrow al-Sarraj, killed five civilians in a park.

Russia escalates

The Tripoli fighting has been going on since last April, when Haftar launched his campaign to take the capital.

Some 14 Russian warplanes painted in neutral colours, and hundreds of Russian mercenaries have now joined him to help, the Pentagon also said last week.

And Moscow printed €1bn in counterfeit Libyan dinars that it was to ship to Haftar, but which was intercepted in Malta, the US said on Friday.

“This incident once again highlights the need for Russia to cease its malign and destabilising actions in Libya,” the US said, amid Russian denials.

Refurbished old jets from former Soviet republics supplied to Haftar by his other allies – such as Egypt or the United Arab Emirates – have long been a feature of the civil war.

But the modern Russian warplanes marked “a substantial further escalation”, Sweden’s former foreign minister Carl Bildt said.

The Libya war was complicated further when Turkey sent troops and drones to fight on al-Sarraj’s side this year.

“We will be there [in Libya] no matter what the outcome. We are decisive on that,” Turkish vice-president Fuat Oktay said on Friday.

The war is also complicated because, while most EU and Nato states back al-Sarraj, France has given diplomatic and military assistance to Haftar.

The source in the Maltese delegation declined to comment on that.

But the threat to Europe could be higher than that posed by migrant dinghies if things go badly, the US warned in its recent statements.

“If Russia seizes basing on Libya’s coast, the next logical step is they deploy permanent long-range anti-access area-denial [A2/AD] capabilities,” US general Jeff Harrigian said.

A2AD capabilities refer to Russian anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles that would make the area a no-go zone for Nato.

“If that day comes, it will create very real security concerns on Europe’s southern flank,” Harrigian said.

Le Drian’s tears

“The crisis is deepening. We are facing a ‘Syrianisation’ of Libya,” French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian also warned last week, referring to the civil war in Syria, where Russia already has an A2AD facility.

Le Drian is said to have been the architect of France’s pro-Haftar policy, despite his remarks.

And whatever effect the war will have on Europe, just as in Syria, it is local people who are likely to suffer most, as foreign powers make their moves.

“Conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic present a significant threat to life in Libya. The health and safety of the country’s entire population are at risk,” the UN said last week.

“Local/community transmission [of coronavirus] is taking place”, the UN warned.

“The risk of further escalation of the outbreak is very high,” with some military attacks targeting medical facilities and water supplies, it said.

Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo

Malta. Migranti. Navi corsare. Riferiti dodici morti, testimonianza dubbia.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-05-22.

Malta 017

Il problema lo ha tratteggiato il Ministro maltese nella intervista del 22 maggio:

«Il problema migratorio dell’Europa è una responsabilità collettiva e dobbiamo trovare un modo per affrontare insieme questa sfida – dice il ministro degli Esteri e degli Affari Europei maltese Evarist Bartolo – ma siamo stati lasciati soli. Le parole di simpatia non bastano: abbiamo bisogno di aiuti pratici. Abbiamo bisogno di ricollocare un certo numero di migranti in altri Paesi » [Fonte]

*

«In secret, however, the Maltese authorities have worked hard to make sure no migrants actually reach the island»

Migranti. Malta è tornata con successo ai vecchi metodi medievali.

Latest Tactic to Push Migrants From Europe? A Private, Clandestine Fleet

Malta. Denuncia la Francia, abbandona l’Operazione Irini e pone il veto sui migranti.

Malta rimanda in Libia i migranti intercettati in mare. A bastonate.

* * * * * * *

Avvertiamo che l’articolo del Guardian riportato è molto enfatico e che si basa su quanto avrebbe detto una migrante circa fatti che sarebbero accaduti il 9 aprile u.s. Una migrante sub-sahariana che però parla un inglese fluente e che si contraddice.

«Survivor reveals further evidence to Guardian and La Repubblica of Malta’s deadly strategy to intercept migrants crossings»

«Further evidence of Malta’s strategy to push migrants back to the conflict zone of Libya has been revealed by a woman who survived a Mediterranean crossing in which 12 people died»

«A series of voice messages obtained by the Guardian have provided confirmation of the Maltese government’s strategy to use private vessels, acting at the behest of its armed forces, in order to intercept migrant crossings and return refugees to Libyan detention centres»

«The woman said the boat on which she was attempting to reach Europe had been intercepted by a ship enlisted by the Maltese authorities, which took those aboard back to Tripoli»

«Her boat left the coast of Libya on the night of 9 April, she said. Around 63 people, including a six-week-old baby and a two-year-old girl – most of them from sub-Saharan Africa – were loaded into a dinghy by traffickers at Garabulli, approximately 50km (31 miles) east of Tripoli»

«A first ship passed tantalisingly close to them . “The boat was called Medkon Lines,” said the woman, who showed a photograph of the vessel.»

«After five days at sea, a Maltese airplane spotted us»

«Four other men, almost unconscious from thirst and hunger, let themselves slide down from the dinghy into the water to drown, she said, before, on 14 April, a trawler under a Maltese flag, the Dar Al Salam 1, reached them»

«The crew of the boat told us they were not rescuers … but said they work for Malta»

«She said two migrants died during the interception, and that three others died en route to Libya»

«Once we were aboard the boat, we begged them to not bring us back to Libya. But then they placed us in the stern of the ship and locked themselves in the boat kitchen. They left us inside with four bottles of water. We knocked but they didn’t open. We started to cry and think that they had just lied to us»

«After 48 hours, the migrants’ worst fears were confirmed when the ship arrived in Tripoli. Passengers were moved to the detention centre of Tariq al-Sikka – infamous for torture and abuse – where they remain»

* * * * * * *

Questo è quanto.

Le contraddizioni del racconto sono evidenti, ma una risulterebbe essere del tutto incredibile.

La riferita testimone, anonima, afferma che:

«Passengers were moved to the detention centre of Tariq al-Sikka – infamous for torture and abuse – where they remain».

Ci si domanda come abbia fatto questa ‘testimone’ a fuggire dal centro di Tariq al-Sikka, che sembrerebbe essere accuratamente sorvegliato ed a trovare in tutto quel bailamme un giornalista del Guardian per farsi intervistare.

Si noti anche come il giornalista, tale Mr Lorenzo Tondo, abbia redatto l’articolo in Palermo.

*


Guardian. Exclusive: 12 die as Malta uses private ships to push migrants back to Libya

Survivor reveals further evidence to Guardian and La Repubblica of Malta’s deadly strategy to intercept migrants crossings.

Further evidence of Malta’s strategy to push migrants back to the conflict zone of Libya has been revealed by a woman who survived a Mediterranean crossing in which 12 people died.

A series of voice messages obtained by the Guardian have provided confirmation of the Maltese government’s strategy to use private vessels, acting at the behest of its armed forces, in order to intercept migrant crossings and return refugees to Libyan detention centres.

The woman said the boat on which she was attempting to reach Europe had been intercepted by a ship enlisted by the Maltese authorities, which took those aboard back to Tripoli.

Last month, investigative journalists working for several international media sources exposed the existence of a secret pact between La Valletta and the owners of at least three trawlers.

The woman’s account matches that of other survivors who have spoken to Alarm Phone, a hotline service for migrants in distress at sea, which first raised the case.

Her boat left the coast of Libya on the night of 9 April, she said. Around 63 people, including a six-week-old baby and a two-year-old girl – most of them from sub-Saharan Africa – were loaded into a dinghy by traffickers at Garabulli, approximately 50km (31 miles) east of Tripoli.

A first ship passed tantalisingly close to them . “The boat was called Medkon Lines,” said the woman, who showed a photograph of the vessel. “We tried to stop it to rescue us. Three men jumped in the water to reach it, but in one minute they disappeared in the water.

“After five days at sea, a Maltese airplane spotted us,” said the woman, whose identity cannot be revealed for her security. “We thought the plane would call the rescuers, but nobody came. We were feeling so tired and we didn’t even have water or food.”

Four other men, almost unconscious from thirst and hunger, let themselves slide down from the dinghy into the water to drown, she said, before, on 14 April, a trawler under a Maltese flag, the Dar Al Salam 1, reached them.

“The crew of the boat told us they were not rescuers … but said they work for Malta,” the woman said. “They said they were Egyptian and working at sea for Malta. They were looking at us like we were not human beings.”

Last month, investigations by the New York Times and the Italian daily newspaper Avvenire revealed that, with the onset of coronavirus, Malta had allegedly dispatched a small fleet to intercept and return migrants to Libya, citing a senior commander in the Libyan coast guard and a former Maltese official involved. One of the vessels was the Dar Al Salam 1 which oversees international operations for the Libyan coastguard.

The owner of the Dar Al Salam 1 is Captain Carmelo Grech. Asked for comment by the Guardian, Grech replied by sending an angry-face emoticon.

The Dar Al Salam 1 sails with two other vessels, the Salve Regina and the Tremar, all allegedly hired by Malta.

The woman’s account was of three boats. She said two migrants died during the interception, and that three others died en route to Libya.

“Once we were aboard the boat, we begged them to not bring us back to Libya. But then they placed us in the stern of the ship and locked themselves in the boat kitchen. They left us inside with four bottles of water. We knocked but they didn’t open. We started to cry and think that they had just lied to us.”

After 48 hours, the migrants’ worst fears were confirmed when the ship arrived in Tripoli. Passengers were moved to the detention centre of Tariq al-Sikka – infamous for torture and abuse – where they remain.

“Maltese authorities’ refusal to rescue these persons amount to a serious breach of international human rights and maritime law,’’ said Giulia Tranchina, human rights lawyer at Wilson Solicitors in London. “The survivors taken back to Libya have been placed again in arbitrary detention in inhuman conditions in the main EU-funded ‘official detention centre’ of Tariq Al Sikka, managed by the Libyan [Directorate for Illegal Migration] police, where male refugees are often tortured in underground cells for months.’’

Following April’s media coverage, prosecutors in Malta launched an investigation into the allegations. Neville Gafà, a former Maltese official, told magistrates on 30 April he was enlisted by the government to coordinate the pushback of migrants to Libya, following instructions from the prime minister’s office.

The Maltese government did not respond to Guardian requests for comment. However, in a statement released on 15 April, authorities in La Valletta confirmed that it “coordinated the rescue of an immigrant boat assisted by a commercial vessel” and on 1 May, answering reporters’ questions about the boats, Malta’s prime minister, Robert Abela, said: “Nothing stops a state from using private assets.

A spokesperson for Alarm Phone said: “Twelve people have died while Malta and Europe were watching. We should never forget that these deaths are the direct result of Malta’s and Europe’s non-assistance policies, and their clear intention to let people die at sea. These deaths could and should have been prevented.’’

The survivors are all still in detention cells, including the toddler and baby, at Tripoli’s Tariq al-Sikka, where, according to lawyers and charities, they have no access to medical treatment, or sufficient food and water.

‘’We wanted to come to Europe because we have the right to live’’ says the woman. ‘’I have decided to talk because it is my right to talk, because our brothers died in the sea. It is my right to talk about what I saw.”

Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo, Unione Europea

Migranti. Malta è tornata con successo ai vecchi metodi medievali.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-05-18.

Malta 013

«The government of Malta enlisted three privately owned fishing trawlers to intercept migrants in the Mediterranean, and force them back to a war zone, officials and a boat captain say»

«In secret, however, the Maltese authorities have worked hard to make sure no migrants actually reach the island»

«It dispatched a small fleet of private merchant vessels in April to intercept migrants at sea and return them by force to a war zone in Libya»

«The three repurposed fishing trawlers are privately owned, but acted on the instructions of the Armed Forces of Malta»

«The clandestine operation, which some experts consider illegal under international law, is just the latest dubious measure taken by European countries in recent years to stem the migration from Africa and the Middle East that has sown political chaos in Europe»

«But Malta’s latest tactic may be among the most egregious, maritime experts say, because it involved a designated flotilla of private vessels, based in a European port, that intercepted and expelled asylum seekers from international waters that fall within the responsibility of European coast guards»

«The facts available raise serious concerns that we are seeing the emergence of a novel systematic pattern, such that may even put Maltese state officials in danger of criminal liability, at home or abroad»

«The activity was first documented on the evening of April 12, when three aging blue trawlers left the Grand Harbour in Valletta»

«The boats did not submit paperwork to the immigration police, and switched off their satellite tracking devices soon after leaving port, maritime databases show»

«The trawlers were sent to intercept a migrant vessel attempting to reach Malta from Libya — and which had been issuing mayday calls for some 48 hours — and then return its passengers to Libya»

«The stricken migrant vessel was still in international waters, according to coordinates provided by the migrants by satellite phone to Alarm Phone, an independent hotline for shipwrecked refugees»

«Two of the trawlers — the Dar Al Salam 1 and the Tremar — reached the migrant vessel early on April 14, guided by a Maltese military helicopter»

«The Maltese authorities told their Libyan counterparts that the Dar Al Salam 1 was in fact a Maltese vessel called the Maria Cristina …. Though based physically in Malta and owned by a Maltese shipowner, the vessel is legally registered in Tobruk, a port in east Libya»

«After disembarking, the migrants were taken to a notorious detention center run by a pro-government militia, where migrants are routinely tortured, held for ransom or sold to other militias»

«After departing Tripoli, the Dar Al Salam 1 turned its satellite identification system back on, and the boat resurfaced off the coast of Libya on the evening of April 15, data provided by Marine Traffic, a maritime database, shows»

«he used the boat, then known as the Mae Yemanja, to bring supplies to Libyan rebels during the Libyan revolution in 2011»

«Their satellite trackers were once again switched off shortly afterward.»

* * * * * * *

Malta ricorda più che bene la sua storia.

Scacciato dapprima dalla Palestina, quindi da Rodi, il Sovrano Ordine Militare si trasferì alla fine a Malta, nel 1530. Dì lì imbastirono una scaltra intercettazione e distruzione della flotta pirata berbera, riuscendo così bene che alla fine i turki cercarono nel 1565 di occupare l’isola, ma furono clamorosamente sconfitti.

Le direttive della guerra di corsa dei Cavalieri di Malta sono ancora custodite nell’archivio dell’Ordine.

Il problema è semplice.

In guerra è necessario sia difendersi dalle armi nemiche sia usarne di analoghe, e la ricerca e distruzione delle forze avversarie è il clou di ogni azione militare. Ed in corso di una guerra anche un peschereccio dall’apparenza innocua potrebbe rivelarsi essere una nave corsare. I ‘pescherecci’ dell’Ordine apparivano come ghiotte prede, ma erano pescherecci solo alla apparenza: erano armati fino ai denti.

A quanto sembrerebbe, poi, i libici usano agli scafisti ogni possibile attenzione.

*


The New York Times. Latest Tactic to Push Migrants From Europe? A Private, Clandestine Fleet

The government of Malta enlisted three privately owned fishing trawlers to intercept migrants in the Mediterranean, and force them back to a war zone, officials and a boat captain say.

With the onset of the coronavirus, Malta announced that it was too overwhelmed to rescue migrants making the precarious crossing of the Mediterranean Sea, where the tiny island nation has been on the front line of the maritime migration route over the past decade.

In secret, however, the Maltese authorities have worked hard to make sure no migrants actually reach the island.

It dispatched a small fleet of private merchant vessels in April to intercept migrants at sea and return them by force to a war zone in Libya, according to information provided by the captain of one of the boats, a senior commander in the Libyan Coast Guard, and a former Maltese official involved in the episode.

The three repurposed fishing trawlers are privately owned, but acted on the instructions of the Armed Forces of Malta, the captain and the others said.

The clandestine operation, which some experts consider illegal under international law, is just the latest dubious measure taken by European countries in recent years to stem the migration from Africa and the Middle East that has sown political chaos in Europe and fueled a populist backlash.

Since 2017, European states, led by Italy, have paid the Libyan government to return more migrants to Libya, hassled the private rescue organizations that try to bring them to Europe, and asked passing merchant vessels to intercept them before they enter European waters.

But Malta’s latest tactic may be among the most egregious, maritime experts say, because it involved a designated flotilla of private vessels, based in a European port, that intercepted and expelled asylum seekers from international waters that fall within the responsibility of European coast guards.

“Against a pattern of increased abuses against asylum seekers in recent years, this newest approach stands out,” said Itamar Mann, an expert in maritime and refugee law at the University of Haifa in Israel. “Its methods chillingly resemble organized crime, and indeed the operations of people smugglers, which European policymakers so adamantly denounce.”

“The facts available raise serious concerns that we are seeing the emergence of a novel systematic pattern, such that may even put Maltese state officials in danger of criminal liability, at home or abroad,” Dr. Mann added.

The Maltese government did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The activity was first documented on the evening of April 12, when three aging blue trawlers left the Grand Harbour in Valletta, the Maltese capital, within an hour of each other. The three boats — the Dar Al Salam 1, the Salve Regina and the Tremar — departed at the request of the Maltese authorities, according to the captain of the Tremar, Amer Abdelrazek.

A former Maltese official, Neville Gafa, said he was enlisted by the government that same night to use his connections in Libya to ensure the safe passage of the first two boats to Libya.

The boats did not submit paperwork to the immigration police, and switched off their satellite tracking devices soon after leaving port, maritime databases show.

But their mission had already been determined, said Mr. Gafa, who said he had been asked by the Maltese prime minister’s chief of staff, Clyde Caruana, to help coordinate the operation. Mr. Caruana did not respond to requests for comment, but a government spokesman told The Times of Malta that Mr. Gafa had been asked to liaise with Libya on a separate matter that was unconnected to the episode.

The trawlers were sent to intercept a migrant vessel attempting to reach Malta from Libya — and which had been issuing mayday calls for some 48 hours — and then return its passengers to Libya, Mr. Gafa said.

The stricken migrant vessel was still in international waters, according to coordinates provided by the migrants by satellite phone to Alarm Phone, an independent hotline for shipwrecked refugees. But it had reached the area of jurisdiction of Malta’s armed forces, making it Malta’s responsibility under international maritime law to rescue its passengers and provide them with sanctuary.

Two of the trawlers — the Dar Al Salam 1 and the Tremar — reached the migrant vessel early on April 14, guided by a Maltese military helicopter, Mr. Abdelrazek said. Several of the migrants had already drowned, according to testimony later gathered by Alarm Phone.

The roughly 50 survivors were taken aboard the Dar Al Salam 1, Mr. Abdelrazek said.

The Dar Al Salam 1 and the Salve Regina sailed to Tripoli on April 15, the former carrying the migrants and the latter carrying several tons of food and water, as a show of appreciation to the Libyan government, Mr. Abdelrazek and Mr. Gafa said. The Tremar waited in international waters, Mr. Abdelrazek said.

The Maltese authorities told their Libyan counterparts that the Dar Al Salam 1 was in fact a Maltese vessel called the Maria Cristina, said Commodore Masoud Abdalsamad, who oversees international operations at the Libyan Coast Guard. To further obscure its identity, the boat’s crew had also painted over the ship’s name and flew a Maltese flag to confuse the Libyan Coast Guard.

Though based physically in Malta and owned by a Maltese shipowner, the vessel is legally registered in Tobruk, a port in east Libya controlled by opponents of the authorities in Tripoli. The crew did not want to risk upsetting the Tripoli government by broadcasting its links to Tobruk, leading it to hide its name and home port, Mr. Abdelrazek said.

After disembarking, the migrants were taken to a notorious detention center run by a pro-government militia, where migrants are routinely tortured, held for ransom or sold to other militias. The detention cells stand close to an arms depot, and the surrounding area was hit by shelling in December.

Conditions at the detention center are “utterly appalling,” said Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, an arm of the United Nations. “People are caged in overcrowded hangars with barely any access to food or sanitation facilities.”

“Many tell us of the abuse they endure and the inhumane ways in which they are exploited,’’ Ms. Msehli added. ‘‘Reports of migrants being used to load weapons, and the detention center’s proximity to a military facility, raise serious concerns over the safety of people detained there arbitrarily.”

After departing Tripoli, the Dar Al Salam 1 turned its satellite identification system back on, and the boat resurfaced off the coast of Libya on the evening of April 15, data provided by Marine Traffic, a maritime database, shows.

The owner of the Salve Regina, Dominic Tanti, declined to comment through an intermediary, and the owner of the Tremar, Yasser Aziz, did not return a message seeking comment.

The owner of the Dar Al Salam 1, Carmelo Grech, did not to respond to multiple requests for comment sent by text, voice message and a letter hand-delivered to his apartment. But he has confirmed his boat’s involvement to a Maltese newspaper, and several outlets have already highlighted its role, including the Italian newspaper, Avvenire, and the Maltese blogger Manuel Delia.

Mr. Grech and his boat have colorful histories, raising questions in Malta about why the government involved them in a state-led operation.

Mr. Grech has previously recounted how he used the boat, then known as the Mae Yemanja, to bring supplies to Libyan rebels during the Libyan revolution in 2011. In 2012, court records show it was impounded after Mr. Grech was accused, though later acquitted, of smuggling contraband cigarettes from Libya to Malta.

In 2015, Mr. Grech was detained by a Libyan faction for several days for what he later described as a misunderstanding over his visas.

Maltese ship records obtained by The Times show that Mr. Grech canceled his boat’s registration in Malta last February, before repainting it to show it had been re-registered in Tobruk, for undisclosed reasons.

Mr. Abdelrazek also has a criminal history, having been convicted in 2014 of forging documents, court records show.

After appearing briefly in Malta last week, the Dar Al Salam 1 and the Salve Regina returned again to sea on Sunday.

Their satellite trackers were once again switched off shortly afterward.

Pubblicato in: Agricoltura, Devoluzione socialismo

Coronavirus e lavoro nei campi. I vegetali maturi non raccolti marciscono.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-05-14.

Grano 001 Triticum_durum

Il problema è semplicissimo da enunciarsi, ma per risolverlo occorrerebbe un governo che capisse come i tempi della natura sono ben più veloci di quelli della politica.

Non solo.

Gli italiani sono persone sui generis: disdegnano il lavoro nei campi, condannano l’impiego dei migranti a bassa remunerazione nella raccolta, ma nel contempo vorrebbero avere a disposizione il cibo a prezzi bassi.

Ma ogni cosa ha il suo prezzo.

* * * * * * *

«Gli effetti dell’accordo raggiunto dal governo si vedranno più avanti, ma ora c’è la frutta da raccogliere che non può aspettare»

«A nostro avviso, il problema resta irrisolto, nonostante siano già trascorsi due mesi da quando abbiamo cominciato a portare la questione all’attenzione della politica in tutta la sua gravità. Risalgono infatti a marzo i nostri ripetuti appelli alla responsabilità dei decisori pubblici nel trovare soluzioni al problema della mancanza di lavoratori nella raccolta dei campi, venutosi a creare dopo che migliaia di stagionali aveva cominciato ancor prima del lockdown a lasciare il nostro paese oppure si trovavano poi nell’impossibilità di fare rientro»

«Avevamo proposto alcune soluzioni concrete …. quali: l’introduzione di strumenti straordinari di flessibilità e semplificazione nella ricerca della manodopera, la possibilità di impiegare in campagna, nella congiuntura di emergenza, i cittadini idonei che percepiscono il reddito di cittadinanza, oppure quanti fossero rimasti senza lavoro per via del blocco delle altre attività produttive»

«Per garantire più personale alle nostre cooperative associate, avevamo anche richiesto di consentire forme di codatorialità nei rapporti tra azienda agricola socia e cooperativa per garantire più personale nelle nostre imprese»

«Gli effetti della regolarizzazione che il governo si appresta a varare si vedranno più avanti, le imprese hanno invece bisogno di risposte che abbiano ricadute immediate»

«La frutta sugli alberi non può aspettare e la situazione nei campi resta problematica: se non arriva manodopera, sono a rischio tutti i prossimi raccolti ortofrutticoli»

«va immediatamente aperto un canale di collaborazione con Paesi come la Romania da dove viene circa un terzo dei lavoratori stagionali impegnati nelle campagne italiane con i quali nel tempo sono stati stabiliti rapporti fiduciari»

«Decine di migliaia di lavoratori rumeni …. sono potuti tornare a lavorare nelle campagne della Germania e della Gran Bretagna grazie a accordi tra i diversi Paesi che hanno utilizzato i corridoi verdi per la libera circolazione degli stagionali agricoli all’interno dell’Unione Europea »

* * * * * * *

La Ministra ha pianto calde lacrime sui poveri migranti regolarizzati, che sarà possibile impiegare il prossimo anno: ma il raccolto a quell’epoca sarà ben marcito.

Si ponga grande attenzione.

È inutile dissodare, fertilizzare e seminare se poi non si potesse raccogliere: sarebbe la morte del comparto ortofrutticolo.  Così come è da ipocriti piangere sui poveri migranti che raccolgono i vegetali per scarno compenso e nel contempo volere ortaggi e frutta a basso prezzo e, nel caso, acquistando quella importata. Questo è un assassinio del comparto agricolo.

*


Coronavirus e lavoro nei campi: regolarizzare immigrati non risolve i problemi

“Gli effetti dell’accordo raggiunto dal governo si vedranno più avanti,

ma ora c’è la frutta da raccogliere che non può aspettare”

L’accordo raggiunto dal governo per regolarizzare i migranti è una soluzione parziale al grande problema della mancanza di manodopera nei campi, e i suoi effetti si vedranno più avanti, mentre la frutta sugli alberi va raccolta adesso, non può aspettare. Servono soluzioni più efficaci e a effetto immediato. Questo è l’appello lanciato da Alleanza cooperative agroalimentari e Coldiretti, riportato da ItalianFruit.

“A nostro avviso, il problema resta irrisolto, nonostante siano già trascorsi due mesi da quando abbiamo cominciato a portare la questione all’attenzione della politica in tutta la sua gravità. Risalgono infatti a marzo i nostri ripetuti appelli alla responsabilità dei decisori pubblici nel trovare soluzioni al problema della mancanza di lavoratori nella raccolta dei campi, venutosi a creare dopo che migliaia di stagionali aveva cominciato ancor prima del lockdown a lasciare il nostro paese oppure si trovavano poi nell’impossibilità di fare rientro”. Lo dichiara Giorgio Mercuri, presidente di Alleanza cooperative agroalimentari, in merito all’accordo politico raggiunto sulla regolarizzazione dei migranti.

 “Avevamo proposto alcune soluzioni concrete – prosegue Mercuri – quali: l’introduzione di strumenti straordinari di flessibilità e semplificazione nella ricerca della manodopera, la possibilità di impiegare in campagna, nella congiuntura di emergenza, i cittadini idonei che percepiscono il reddito di cittadinanza, oppure quanti fossero rimasti senza lavoro per via del blocco delle altre attività produttive, dalla ristorazione al turismo.

Per garantire più personale alle nostre cooperative associate, avevamo anche richiesto di consentire forme di codatorialità nei rapporti tra azienda agricola socia e cooperativa per garantire più personale nelle nostre imprese. Siamo ancora in attesa che il Ministero del Lavoro – conclude il presidente di Alleanza cooperative agroalimentari – ci dia risposte ufficiali in merito alle richieste da noi presentate. Gli effetti della regolarizzazione che il governo si appresta a varare si vedranno più avanti, le imprese hanno invece bisogno di risposte che abbiano ricadute immediate. La frutta sugli alberi non può aspettare e la situazione nei campi resta problematica: se non arriva manodopera, sono a rischio tutti i prossimi raccolti ortofrutticoli”.

“L’intesa raggiunta sulla regolarizzazione dei migranti non è risolutiva dei problemi del mondo agricolo anche per i tempi che non combaciano con quelli delle imprese”, afferma da parte sua il presidente di Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini nel sottolineare che nelle campagne le esigenze sono immediate mentre per la regolarizzazione ci vorrà tempo.

“Per questo – sottolinea Prandini – è necessaria subito una radicale semplificazione del voucher agricolo che possa ridurre la burocrazia e consentire anche a percettori di ammortizzatori sociali, studenti e pensionati italiani lo svolgimento dei lavori nelle campagne in un momento in cui scuole, università e molte attività economiche sono rallentate e tanti lavoratori sono in cassa integrazione.

Le imprese agricole – continua Prandini – hanno bisogno anche di professionalità ed esperienza con il coinvolgimento delle stesse persone che ogni anno attraversano il confine per un lavoro stagionale per poi tornare nel proprio Paese. Non per tutti i lavori in agricoltura ci si può improvvisare ma – sostiene Prandini – per la maggior parte serve manodopera formata e qualificata, dalla potatura alla guida dei mezzi agricoli. Per questo va immediatamente aperto un canale di collaborazione con Paesi come la Romania da dove viene circa un terzo dei lavoratori stagionali impegnati nelle campagne italiane con i quali nel tempo sono stati stabiliti rapporti fiduciari”.

Decine di migliaia di lavoratori rumeni secondo la Coldiretti sono potuti tornare a lavorare nelle campagne della Germania e della Gran Bretagna grazie a accordi tra i diversi Paesi che hanno utilizzato i corridoi verdi per la libera circolazione degli stagionali agricoli all’interno dell’Unione Europea durante l’emergenza coronavirus.

E lo stesso Governo francese, al fine di far fronte alla carenza di manodopera agricola, ha annunciato la riapertura delle frontiere per permettere ai lavoratori europei di entrare in territorio francese per prestare la propria collaborazione nei campi. Con il blocco delle frontiere in Italia, secondo la Coldiretti, sono venuti a mancare circa duecentomila lavoratori stranieri assunti regolarmente che arrivavano temporaneamente in Italia per la stagione di raccolta per poi tornare nel proprio Paese.

Dopo fragole, asparagi, carciofi, ortaggi in serra (come meloni, pomodori, peperoni e melanzane in Sicilia) con l’aprirsi della stagione i prodotti di serra hanno lasciato il posto a quelli all’aperto, partendo dal sud per arrivare al nord. Le raccolte di frutta sono partite con le ciliegie in Puglia, a seguire partirà la raccolta delle albicocche, poi prugne e pesche, sempre iniziando dal meridione, per poi risalire lo stivale ed arrivare, grazie ai tempi di maturazione differenziati delle diverse varietà, fino a settembre. A maggio è iniziata la raccolta dell’uva da tavola in Sicilia, a giugno le prime pere, ad agosto le prime mele e l’inizio della vendemmia mentre a ottobre inizia la raccolta delle olive e a novembre quella del kiwi.

Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo, Unione Europea

Migranti. Accordi distribuzione migranti sono scaduti. – Corte EU di Giustizia.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-04-03.

2020-04-03__Curia 001

Court of Justice of the European Union

PRESS RELEASE No 40/20

Luxembourg, 2 April 2020

Judgment in Joined Cases C-715/17, C-718/17 and C-719/17

Commission v Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic

*

Con una sentenza degna di un maestro cerchiobottaio la Corte EU si è alla fine pronunciata sulla questione della ripartizione dei migranti tra i paesi dell’Unione Europea.

Stabilisce che Polonia, Ungheria e Repubblica Ceka non hanno adempiuto alla direttiva europea. Ma essendo questa scaduta non c’è modo per rimediare all’infrazione. Si rimanda il tutto alla Commissione Europea.

*

«La Corte dell’Ue ha stabilito che Polonia, Ungheria, e Cechia hanno violato la legge comunitaria. Tuttavia, con la scadenza di entrambe le decisioni sui ricollocamenti, non c’è modo per rimediare all’infrazione»

«La priorità della Commissione europea ora è presentare il nuovo Patto su asilo e migrazione»

«By refusing to comply with the temporary mechanism for the relocation of applicants for international protection, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have failed to fulfil their obligations under European Union law»

«following the expiry of the period of application of the relocation decisions, on 17 and 26 September 2017 respectively, it is no longer possible for them to remedy the infringements alleged»

«La priorità della Commissione europea ora è presentare il nuovo Patto su asilo e migrazione»

* * * * * * *

Letta alla luce di quanto sta accadendo a seguito dell’epidemia da coronavirus, delegare alla Commissione una decisione in proposito apparirebbe essere alquanto naïf.

*


Migranti: Ue, sentenza Corte guiderà decisioni future.

Meccanismo ricollocamenti scaduto, Paesi non possono rimediare.

“La Corte dell’Ue ha stabilito” che Polonia, Ungheria, e Cechia hanno violato la legge comunitaria. “Tuttavia, con la scadenza di entrambe le decisioni sui ricollocamenti, non c’è modo per rimediare all’infrazione”. Così un portavoce della Commissione europea, rispondendo all’ANSA. Il portavoce evidenzia tuttavia: “La decisione è però importante perché fa chiarezza sulla responsabilità degli Stati membri, e guiderà il lavoro” dell’Esecutivo Ue “per il futuro”.

“La priorità della Commissione europea ora è presentare il nuovo Patto su asilo e migrazione. La sentenza della Corte Ue chiarisce che il principio di solidarietà e di giusta condivisione della responsabilità tra gli Stati membri, secondo i Trattati, governa la politica di asilo dell’Ue” aggiunge il portavoce. “La Corte – spiega – è chiara rispetto alla responsabilità degli Stati membri. Questa sentenza guiderà il nostro lavoro sul nuovo Patto”.

*


Court: Three countries broke EU law on migrant relocation.

The EU’s top court ruled on Thursday (2 April) that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic broke EU law by refusing to take in their share of asylum seekers in 2015.

“By refusing to comply with the temporary mechanism for the relocation of applicants for international protection, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have failed to fulfil their obligations under European Union law,” the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice (ECJ) said.

It also found Poland and the Czech Republic at fault for failing to fulfil an earlier decision by the council of member states with regard to some 40,000 migrants.

The court said that in refusing to comply, the three member states had no right to cite ‘maintaining law’ or ‘safeguarding internal security’, or claim that the relocation programme was ‘dysfunctional’.

Hungary’s justice minister Judit Varga tweeted that the “EU compulsory relocation system of migrants is dead and today’s CJEU judgement won’t change that. It must be lonesome in the saddle since the horse died.”

Now, it is up to the EU Commission if it wants to follow up the court ruling.

The commission could determine that the original 2015 council decision can still be implemented and launch a second infringement procedure for financial penalties.

All of those commission considerations would be subject to scrutiny by the court.

‘Original sin’

In 2015, during the influx of migrants to Europe, member states decided to distribute people among EU member states.

The decision was taken by home affairs ministers – where Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were outvoted by other member states.

Warsaw, under a different government, agreed with the 2015 decision.

(The commission has removed the webpage on the relocation figures.)

But commission figures from last October say that in total, 34,712 people were relocated from Italy (12,713) and Greece (21,999) under the scheme, with a lower number of people eligible, due partly to a slowing of the influx, than previously expected.

Hungary did not take any asylum seekers, the Czech Republic took in only 12. Poland took none. Slovakia eventual offered temporary shelter to more than 1,200 people who filed for asylum in neighbouring Austria, so was not sued by the commission.

Hungary and Slovakia challenged the decision of the ministers in court, arguing that the ministers’ vote was contrary to an earlier commitment by EU leaders.

In 2017, however, the ECJ ruled that the relocation quotas were legal.

In 2015, 120,000 asylum seekers were supposed to be shared among member states, relocating 50,400 asylum seekers from Greece and 15,600 from Italy.

Originally, the commission offered Hungary the option to relocate 54,000 people from the central European country, but prime minister Viktor Orban refused.

Some diplomats from the rebel EU countries refer to the quota vote as an “original sin” that broke trust between the commission and eastern and central European governments.

It also fuelled years of campaigning by Orban domestically against both the EU and migration.

The bitter rift over migration and especially relocation quotas has been driving a wedge between member states ever since.

The commission in 2016 unveiled new proposals to reform the EU’s asylum system – but its permanent mechanism to relocate migrants in a possible new massive influx was fiercely rejected by Hungary and Poland.

The commission earlier this year binned its efforts to reform the Dublin asylum system based on that proposal and is working on new ones.

Pubblicato in: Medicina e Biologia, Unione Europea

Unione Europea. 2019. 612,700 richiedenti asilo, 840,000 domande sotto esame.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-03-22.

2020-03-22__Eurostat

«In 2019, 612 700 first-time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), up by 12% compared with 2018 (549 000)»

«Around 840 000 asylum applications pending at the end of 2019»

«Almost 1 in 4 applied for asylum in Germany»

«Syrian (74 400 first-time applicants) and Afghan (52 500) continued to be the main citizenship of people seeking international protection in the EU Member States in 2019, followed by Venezuelan (44 800), which moved up from fifth place in 2018 to third in 2019, together accounting for 28% of all first-time applicants»

«With 142 400 first-time applicants registered in 2019, Germany accounted for 23% of all first-time applicants in the EU Member States. It was closely followed by France (119 900, or 20%) and Spain (115 200, or 19%), ahead of Greece (74 900, or 12%) and Italy (35 000, or 6%)»

«Of the 74 400 Syrians who applied for asylum for the first-time in the EU in 2019, more than half were registered in Germany (39 300, or 53%). Syrian was the main citizenship of asylum seekers in seven EU Member States.»

«At the end of 2019, 842 500 applications for international protection in the EU Member States were still under consideration by the national authorities. At the end of 2018, this figure was slightly higher (851 000)»

«Germany had the largest share of applications pending in the EU at the end of 2019 (326 800, or 39% of the EU total), ahead of Spain (133 000, or 16%), Greece (105 400, or 13%), France (74 400, or 9%) and Italy (47 000, or 6%)»

«Pending applications for international protection are applications that have been made at any time and are still under consideration by the national authorities at the end of the reference period. In other words, they refer to the number of asylum seekers waiting for a decision at the end of the year»

* * * * * * *

Sono numeri che si commentano da soli.

Questa povera Unione Europea travagliata dalla recessione economica e dall’epidemia da coronavirus ha bisogno di tutto tranne che di altri migranti.

Si noti anche come i richiedenti asilo provenienti da zone belliche siano solo il 12%: i restanti sono migranti per motivazioni economiche.

Germania. Pianifica 500 mld per l’economia in crisi. KfW.

Malta rimanda in Libia i migranti intercettati in mare. A bastonate.

Commissione Europea tace ed avvalla la Grecia sul problema dei migranti.

Grecia respinge con cariche e lacrimogeni 4,000 migranti.

Forse crisi economica e coronavirus riusciranno a bloccare questo delirio.

*


Eurostat ha rilasciato il Report

612 700 first-time asylum seekers registered in 2019, up by 12% compared with 2018.

In 2019, 612 700 first-time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), up by 12% compared with 2018 (549 000), but around half of the number recorded in the peak year 2015 when 1 216 900 first-time asylum applicants were registered.

Syrian (74 400 first-time applicants) and Afghan (52 500) continued to be the main citizenship of people seeking international protection in the EU Member States in 2019, followed by Venezuelan (44 800), which moved up from fifth place in 2018 to third in 2019, together accounting for 28% of all first-time applicants.

These data on asylum applicants in the EU are issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. They are complemented with an article and an infographic available on the Eurostat website.

Almost 1 in 4 applied for asylum in Germany

With 142 400 first-time applicants registered in 2019, Germany accounted for 23% of all first-time applicants in the EU Member States. It was closely followed by France (119 900, or 20%) and Spain (115 200, or 19%), ahead of Greece (74 900, or 12%) and Italy (35 000, or 6%).

Among EU Member States with more than 5 000 first-time asylum seekers in 2019, the number of first time applicants rose most compared with the previous year in Spain (+118%, or 62 400 more first-time asylum seekers in 2019 than in 2018) and Cyprus (+67%, or 5 100 more), ahead of Sweden (+28%, or 5 000 more), Belgium (+27%, or 5 000 more), Greece (+15%, or 9 900 more), the Netherlands (+10%, or 2 000 more) and France (+8%, or 8 500 more).

In contrast, the largest relative decreases were recorded in Italy (-34%, or 18 400 fewer), Germany (-12%, or 19 400 fewer) and Austria (-7%, or 800 fewer).

Syrian, Afghan and Venezuelan – main citizenships of asylum seekers

Syrian (12% of the total number of first-time applicants) was the main citizenship of asylum seekers in the EU Member States in 2019, a position it has held each year since 2013. Of the 74 400 Syrians who applied for asylum for the first-time in the EU in 2019, more than half were registered in Germany (39 300, or 53%). Syrian was the main citizenship of asylum seekers in seven EU Member States.

With 52 500 first-time applicants (or 9% of the EU total) in 2019, Afghan was the second main citizenship of asylum seekers in the EU Member States. Almost half of Afghans (45%) applied in Greece (23 700). Afghan was the main citizenship of asylum seekers in five EU Member States.

Venezuelan (7% of the total number of first-time applicants) was the third main citizenship of asylum seekers in the EU Member States in 2019. Of the 44 800 Venezuelans seeking asylum protection for the first-time in the EU in 2019, the vast majority (90%) applied in Spain (40 300). Venezuelan was the main citizenship of asylum seekers only in Spain.

While the number of applicants from Syria decreased compared to 2018 (-7%, or 5 700), the number of Afghans and Venezuelans increased by 35% (13 600) and 102% (22 600) respectively.

Highest number of first-time applicants relative to the population in Cyprus, lowest in Slovakia

The highest number of registered first-time applicants in 2019 relative to the population of each Member State was recorded in Cyprus (14 495 first-time applicants per million population), ahead of Malta (8 108), Greece (6 985) and Luxembourg (3 585).

In contrast, the lowest numbers were recorded in Slovakia (39 applicants per million population), Hungary (48), Poland (73), Estonia (76) and Latvia (93).

In 2019, in the EU as a whole, there were 1 371 first-time asylum applicants per million population.

Around 840 000 asylum applications pending at the end of 2019

Pending applications for international protection are applications that have been made at any time and are still under consideration by the national authorities at the end of the reference period. In other words, they refer to the number of asylum seekers waiting for a decision at the end of the year. This statistic is also intended to measure how the national authorities are facing the workload implied by the arrival of asylum applicants in the Member States.

At the end of 2019, 842 500 applications for international protection in the EU Member States were still under consideration by the national authorities. At the end of 2018, this figure was slightly higher (851 000).

Germany had the largest share of applications pending in the EU at the end of 2019 (326 800, or 39% of the EU total), ahead of Spain (133 000, or 16%), Greece (105 400, or 13%), France (74 400, or 9%) and Italy (47 000, or 6%).

Among EU Member States with more than 5 000 pending applications at the end of 2019, the number of pending applications rose most compared with the previous year in Cyprus (+85%, or 8 600 more pending applications in 2019 than in 2018), Spain (+69%, or 54 300 more), and Belgium (+49%, or 9 500 more).

The largest relative decreases were recorded in Italy (-54%, or 56 000 fewer), Austria (-29%, or 10 900 fewer) and Sweden (-27%, or 10 100 fewer).

Geographical information

The European Union (EU27) includes Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.

The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Information on dissemination of European statistics from 1 February 2020 is published on the Eurostat website.

Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo, Unione Europea

Commissione Europea. Altre accuse dei liberal socialisti. Ma c’è la crisi.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-03-15.

EP-051364A_Tajani_Brexit
Opening the debate on BREXIT

I liberal socialisti dell’Unione Europea hanno esternato il loro giudizio sui primi cento giorni della Commissione Europea, attraverso un articolo comparso su EU Observer.

«First 100 days: Digital and Green Deal policies hit by crises»

«”We have the duty to act and the power to lead,” the president of the European Commission, Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen»

«However, the agenda of the commission since then has, in fact, been directly impacted by massive and immediate international circumstances»

«”Today, we are in the middle of a deep dilemma,”»

«Finding a solution means relieving pressure on the border while ensuring that the individual right to request asylum is respected»

«The first three months of the commission has also been marked by the crisis of the coronavirus – which has seen over 11,000 cases and 400 deaths in Europe»

«The spread of this virus not only has a vast impact on people’s lives but also on our economy»

«However, she warned that without the EU’s planned next seven-year budget, the commission will not be able to respond accordingly to the challenges. ….”Without a new budget, we are running short of flexibility,»

«The von der Leyen Commission’s main objective is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, but this approach did not manage to convince everyone – including member state Poland»

«Meanwhile, the commission is due to present on Tuesday (10 March) its new industrial strategy, to boost EU companies while reducing the barriers of the single market»

* * * * * * *

L’Unione Europea è entrata in una fase di stagnazione regressiva del sistema economico. Politicamente è divisa da visione opposte e molti stati presentano uno stallo gestionale dovuto alla frammentazione dei partiti politici.

Su questa situazione traballante ed incerta si sono abbattute la crisi del coronavirus, che sta bloccando mobilità e produzione, la crisi petrolifera, che ha sostenuto il lunedì nero, quando le borse europee sono crollate, e le tensioni dei migranti al confine greco – turko.

Per essere brutalmente chiari, la crisi attuale impone che l’Unione Europea prenda provvedimenti per cercare di contenere lo sfacelo economico e non ha risorse da impiegare per il Green Deal e per le altre istanze che stanno così a cuore dei liberal socialisti.

*


First 100 days: Digital and Green Deal policies hit by crises

“We have the duty to act and the power to lead,” the president of the European Commission, Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen, told MEPs before her team of commissioners took office late last year.

At the core of von der Leyen’s pre-election campaign was her commitment to using her first 100 days in office to respond to the digital and environmental transitions.

However, the agenda of the commission since then has, in fact, been directly impacted by massive and immediate international circumstances.

“Today, we are in the middle of a deep dilemma,” admitted von der Leyen on Monday (9 March) referring to the ongoing emergency on the Greek border where thousands of refugees have attempted to enter Europe after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he was “opening the doors”.

“This is a very acute situation. Finding a solution means relieving pressure on the border while ensuring that the individual right to request asylum is respected,” she added.

The first three months of the commission has also been marked by the crisis of the coronavirus – which has seen over 11,000 cases and 400 deaths in Europe.

“We don’t know what kind of crisis this will be. The spread of this virus not only has a vast impact on people’s lives but also on our economy,” said von der Leyen.

However, she warned that without the EU’s planned next seven-year budget, the commission will not be able to respond accordingly to the challenges.

“Without a new budget, we are running short of flexibility,” she added.

Besides crisis management, von der Leyen said that her commission made a “good start” in the first 100 days.

In that time, the EU’s executive body had over 1,400 high-level meetings with the Green Deal making up nearly one-fifth of all these lobby meetings, Transparency International EU reported.

Green Deal – unprecedented but mixed response

The commission unveiled in December the Green Deal and its investment plan, pledging to fight climate change, cut pollution and protect biodiversity while creating jobs by investing a total of some one trillion euros.

However, NGOs like Greenpeace slammed the proposal as “too weak, half-baked or missing altogether”.

The von der Leyen Commission’s main objective is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, but this approach did not manage to convince everyone – including member state Poland.

Aiming to bring all member states on board, the commission proposed a just transition fund (€7.5bn investment) to support the regions most affected by the industrial transition.

Last week, the commission announced its flagship climate law.

But environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, quickly declared the proposal a “surrender” for postponing immediate action.

The commission also presented new rules for sustainable finance, although a specific taxonomy of harmful economic activities for the environment is still a pending task.

The EU’s executive body also kick-started work on a possible carbon border tax. If this initiative is implemented, imports could be hit with some form of tariff if they do not meet the EU’s environmental standards.

Meanwhile, the upcoming strategies on biodiversity, the circular economy and agri-food, as well as the reforms of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) post-2020, will also be key to green the economy and tackle what was called “this generation’s defining task”.

Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Another essential task for the commission’s first 100 days was the EU’s new digital strategy.

The commission began a public consultation on artificial intelligence (AI) governance when it presented in February its white paper on AI.

Brussels wants to establish new binding requirements by the end of the year for the development and use of “high-risk” AI applications.

However, the specific criteria that would qualify an application as “high-risk” are far from decided.

At the last minute, plans for a European data strategy were added to the taskforce of the commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, who aims to create “common European data spaces” to boost innovation.

“We know that Europe has a huge amount of sleeping potential of unused data, which we can share in the European data space we want to create,” von der Leyen told reporters on Monday.

Additionally, the commission and the member states defined a common approach for the security of 5G networks in the EU without excluding any specific telecom suppliers – amid concerns over Huawei’s links to China’s intelligence services.

Meanwhile, the commission is due to present on Tuesday (10 March) its new industrial strategy, to boost EU companies while reducing the barriers of the single market.

However, upcoming rules for online platforms, common standards for online digital identity and a European approach for cybersecurity will also play a part in the digital transformation of the EU.

From West Balkans to gender pay-gap

With von der Leyen’s ambition to lead a “geopolitical commission,” the institution delivers an updated enlargement methodology and the EU-Africa strategy within the first 100 days.

However, the engagement with the Western Balkans will remain “a priority” for the rest of the mandate, said the commission.

Despite the objections, the commission also launched a two-phased consultation for a possible for EU minimum wage and debate on a forthcoming “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan”.

Likewise, the most gender-balance commission of EU’s history recently pledged to combat the gender pay gap by implementing “binding measures on pay transparency”.

According to von der Leyen, “it was important to grasp the key underlying driving factors for change to spell out this vision for the next 30 years we do have together in Europe”.

Pubblicato in: Devoluzione socialismo, Unione Europea

Lesbo. Incendiato un centro raccolta migranti. La violenza sale ancora.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-03-08.

Grecia. Lesbo. 003

Josep Borrell i Fontelles è un uomo politico ed economista spagnolo, membro del PSOE ed aderente al partito Socialista Europeo, dal 1º dicembre 2019 Alto rappresentante dell’Unione per gli affari esteri e la politica di sicurezza.

L’europarlamento ne aveva consentito la nomina in quanto liberal socialista di fede specchiata, ‘migrants welcome”, tra l’altro.

Poi è avvenuta una mutazione.

«The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has told refugees

to “avoid moving to a closed door”»

Mr Borrell si è fatto convincere dal resto della Commissione Europea ed ha abbracciato con piena convinzione le idee in proposito degli identitari sovranisti, blindando i confini della Unione Europea ed elogiando i greci per aver usato anche mezzi violenti per respingere i migranti. Sarà difficile che d’ora in poi possa avere qualcosa da ridire su Mr Orban ….

* * * * * * *

«A fire has ripped through a refugee shelter on the Greek island of Lesbos as tensions over a surge in migration from Turkey continue to rise»

«Flames engulfed the One Happy Family centre, near the island’s capital Mitilini, on Saturday. …. It is not clear how the fire started. No causalities have been reported.»

«Hundreds of migrants have attempted to reach the island since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week he was “opening the doors” for refugees to enter Europe»

«The EU has accused Mr Erdogan of using migrants for political purposes. It insists its doors are “closed”.»

«On Saturday, Greek police fired tear gas at crowds at the border crossing at Kastanies, who responded by throwing stones and shouting “open the gates”»

«”Accommodation and benefits for those granted asylum will be interrupted within a month. From then on, they will have to work for a living,” the minister said. …. “This makes our country a less attractive destination for migration flows.”»

«Turkey already hosts some 3.7m Syrians but the conflict in Idlib has led to nearly a million more fleeing to its southern border»

«Greece …. has halted for a month all asylum claims from migrants who enter Greece illegally, and taken aggressive measures to deter them from entering via both land and sea»

«The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has told refugees to “avoid moving to a closed door”»

«members of self-styled militias who carry out night-time armed patrols in Greek border towns looking for migrants»

«”We have seen them with our own eyes, arresting migrants, treating them badly and if someone dares to help them, he has the same fate.”»

* * * * * * *

Commissione Europea tace ed avvalla la Grecia sul problema dei migranti.

Grecia respinge con cariche e lacrimogeni 4,000 migranti.

Grecia, Eu e migranti. Liberal socialisti verso l’emarginazione.

Lesbo. Gli abitanti contro i clandestini. La polizia spara. Almeno un morto.

Grecia. Schiera esercito al confine turco contro i migranti.

Grecia. Rivolta armata contro immigrati e centri di raccolta.

La Grecia ha chiuso i confini ai migranti ufficialmente per un mese, ma un mese passa presto ed il problema è sempre lì, irrisolto: proseguire con la chiusura oppure accoglierli.

Intanto cresce la violenza: la gente del posto non ne vuole più sapere di ricevere altri migranti, che tra l’altro, non arrivano da zone di guerra. Dopo le botte, adesso gli incendi. Dopo, chissà cosa potrà mai succedere.

Sarebbe buona norma politica non portare mai il popolo all’ira.

*


Greece migrant crisis: Refugee centre ablaze as tensions rise.

A fire has ripped through a refugee shelter on the Greek island of Lesbos as tensions over a surge in migration from Turkey continue to rise.

Flames engulfed the One Happy Family centre, near the island’s capital Mitilini, on Saturday.

It is not clear how the fire started. No causalities have been reported.

In recent days, there has been hostility towards migrants on Lesbos after an increase in arrivals from Turkey.

Hundreds of migrants have attempted to reach the island since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week he was “opening the doors” for refugees to enter Europe.

But on Saturday, Mr Erdogan partially reversed his position. He ordered the Turkish coastguard to stop migrants from crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece because it is unsafe to do so.

The EU has accused Mr Erdogan of using migrants for political purposes. It insists its doors are “closed”.

Meanwhile, clashes have again erupted at the land border between Greece and Turkey.

There appears to have been no change in Turkey’s position with regard to letting migrants try to enter Greece via this route.

On Saturday, Greek police fired tear gas at crowds at the border crossing at Kastanies, who responded by throwing stones and shouting “open the gates”, according to the AFP news agency.

The Greek authorities also accused Turkish police of firing tear gas at its police.

Lesbos migrant camp children ‘say they want to die’

Greek clashes break out over new migrant camps

Islanders strike over crowded Lesbos camps

Earlier on Saturday, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi announced fresh restrictions on asylum seekers designed to stem the flow of migration from Turkey.

“Accommodation and benefits for those granted asylum will be interrupted within a month. From then on, they will have to work for a living,” the minister said.

“This makes our country a less attractive destination for migration flows.”

What’s the background?

In 2016, a deal was reached whereby Turkey would stop allowing migrants to reach the EU in return for funds from the bloc to help it manage the huge numbers of refugees it hosts.

But since then, tensions between the EU and Turkey have flared on various issues. In recent weeks, a fierce onslaught by Syrian forces and their Russian backers on Idlib, the last province held by Syrian rebels, has led to clashes with Turkey, which supports some rebel groups.

Turkey already hosts some 3.7m Syrians but the conflict in Idlib has led to nearly a million more fleeing to its southern border.

Although the EU promised billions more euros in aid, Turkey was unimpressed and last week decided to open its borders with Greece and even bussed migrants close to the north-western border.

Greece said that the migrants were being “manipulated as pawns” by Turkey in an attempt to exert diplomatic pressure.

It has halted for a month all asylum claims from migrants who enter Greece illegally, and taken aggressive measures to deter them from entering via both land and sea.

In a 24-hour period to Saturday morning, more than 1,200 migrants attempted to cross the land border, most from Afghanistan and Pakistan, an official source told Reuters news agency.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has told refugees to “avoid moving to a closed door”.

The BBC has encountered members of self-styled militias who carry out night-time armed patrols in Greek border towns looking for migrants.

“There are such militia along the entire region,” said Yannis Laskarakis, a newspaper publisher in the city of Alexandroupoli who has received death threats for speaking out against armed vigilantes.

“We have seen them with our own eyes, arresting migrants, treating them badly and if someone dares to help them, he has the same fate.”