‘EU must watch rights’:
European Parliament President Martin Schulz said Sunday the EU must make no concessions to Turkey over human rights but voiced confidence in a deal with Ankara to manage the refugee crisis.
Under the controversial agreement, Turkey is due to take back illegal migrants from EU member Greece from Monday, when it will also start an orderly resettlement programme of Syrian asylum-seekers to the 28-member bloc.
Turkey has received EU financial aid and other concessions, but Schulz, speaking to Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper, said Europe must give no ground to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when it comes to fundamental freedoms.
Schulz said Erdogan “went one step too far” when his government called in Germany’s ambassador last month over a satirical TV programme that mocked the leader, demanding it be pulled off the air.
“It is unacceptable that the president of another country demands that we restrict democratic rights in Germany because he feels he was caricatured,” said Schulz, a German citizen.
“We must not be silent on violations of fundamental rights in Turkey just because we are cooperating on the refugee question,” he said.
“On the contrary, we must denounce these violations and permanently stay in discussions with Turkey on freedom of expression and human rights issues.”
However, speaking of the refugee deal, he said “I am optimistic that the distribution will work.
“All EU countries have agreed to this scheme. Germany, whose Chancellor is Angela Merkel, alone is ready to accept 40,000 refugees, France 30,000 and Portugal 10,000. (AFP)
Refugee influx ‘peaked’:
Germany’s interior minister voiced optimism Sunday that Europe’s refugee influx had peaked but said agreements with North African countries may be needed to prevent mass arrivals in future.
A controversial EU-Turkey deal goes into effect on Monday under which Ankara has pledged to take back migrants from EU member Greece, while it plans to launch orderly transports of Syrian asylum-seekers to the 28-member bloc.
Germany — which took in more than
one million refugees and migrants last year — has already seen arrivals drop sharply to an average of 140 a day on its Austrian border, said Interior Minister Thomas de
Maiziere.
“I can say with a great deal of caution that the peak of the refugee crisis is behind us,” de Maiziere was quoted as telling the Tagesspiegel am Sonntag newspaper, speaking weeks after Balkan countries closed their borders to the wave of migrants.
The German minister added however that “there are still some questions that we must answer”.
“This includes the implementation of the negotiated agreement achieved with Turkey, but also a search for solutions in case of possible alternative routes, such as via Libya and Italy,” he said.
“If, once more, more people come via this route, we will need to search for similar solutions as we did with Turkey and also enter into negotiations with North African countries,” he added.
“I could imagine reception centres in North Africa for refugees who are returned from Italy, and in turn a humanitarian admission programme with the North African country in question,” he said.
He cautioned however that much “hard work” would lie ahead before any such programmes may be agreed.