Europe closes borders as migrant crisis grows
Taoiseach says army barracks could be used to house refugees
DISUSED Irish Army barracks could be used as refugee accommodation, the Taoiseach has suggested – but deep disagreements continue in Europe over how to deal with the influx.
Europe was on lockdown last night as states across the continent said they could take no more migrants and closed their borders.
And last night, it was reported that EU justice ministers failed to reach unanimous agreement on how to relocate 160,000 refugees. They will meet again on October 8.
The European Union’s 20-year-old border-free travel zone unravelled soon after Germany brought back passport checks, admitting it could no longer cope.
Other states swiftly followed Germany’s l ead and reintroduced checks. Austria sent thousands of soldiers to man its borders as the country stepped up patrols. Finland, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the Czech Republic all followed suit.
Officials in France, Belgium and Poland said they were also poised to re-introduce controls to stop the unprecedented surge of migrants.
Long traffic jams formed on Germany’s border with Austria yesterday following Angela Merkel’s dramatic U-turn on Sunday night, reversing her decision to throw open the country’s doors to people fleeing Syria. The German chancellor reinstated border controls removed two decades ago – creating the so-called
40,000 arrived over the weekend
Schengen Area – when Germany was overwhelmed with more than 40,000 people arriving over the weekend alone. Officials in Berlin say they now expect to take more than a million refugees this year, up from the 800,000 that had been forecast.
Germany’s surprise decision to restore passport checks was the first time a Schengen country has brought in temporary controls over migratory pressures since Europe’s internal borders were opened in 1995. Under EU rules, the 26 states that have removed border checks may introduce emergency controls for no more than two months ‘ if there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security’.
The Schengen Area includes all EU member states except the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. Also involved are non-EU countries Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia yesterday said they would follow Germany’s lead and temporarily reinstate border controls to cope with a surge in migrants.
Dutch police announced they would begin spot border checks, while France said it could also suspend Schengen. Finland plans to increase monitoring of its borders.
Polish prime minister Ewa Kopacz said: ‘As soon as I hear there is any kind of threat to Polish borders, controls will be imposed.’
And Belgian migration minister Theo Francken warned his country will have to close its borders if the German decision results in a sudden influx of refugees.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban was last night preparing to declare a crisis after 5,800 migrants crossed the border with Serbia on Sunday, with a further 7,437 arriving by 2pm yesterday.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Mr Kenny was asked about the question of accommodation for refugees and pointed out that empty Defence Forces accommodation had been used for such purposes before. He said: ‘For instance, when refugees from Bosnia came to Ireland before they were moved into Army barracks. These barracks supplied temporary accommodation connected to all the facilities. This was a very efficient and fast way of doing it.’ He said the Minister for Justice, who was locked in negotiations in Brussels last night, would chair an interdepartmental group and Task Force which would look at the question of accommodation for the 4,000 refugees that will come here.
‘There are a whole series of options being looked at here. Obviously, the Minister will keep the public updated on decisions as they are decided on,’ he said.
Strong and different views on the issue were expressed around the table at the meeting of the EU General Affairs Council where discussion was ‘very much focused on migration,’ according to Government junior minister Dara Murphy.
Amnesty International is meanwhile demanding an overhaul of the EU’s asylum system to ensure safe passage to the EU for people in need of protection and to end the suffering of those who do eventually make it to the Union.
Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty, declared: ‘European political representatives are taking centre- stage in talking about the need to address the refugee crisis. But the real European crisis is one of leadership, and Europe’s failure to radically reform its collapsing asylum system, with dire consequences for vulnerable people who need safety and sanctuary. There has been enough talk. Now is time for real action. The world is watching.’