TIME TO GET TOUGH
President calls for new rules as Geneva Convention is ‘outdated’
TOO many migrants are using the ‘ outdated’ Geneva Convention to e nt e r Europe when they are not in genuine need, Finland’s president has warned.
Sauli Niinisto called for a rethink of the 1951 treaty that obliges signatories – including Britain – to offer sanctuary to those fleeing danger.
He said it was not right that anyone could say the word ‘asylum’ on arrival and have the right to cross into Europe. His comments came as the European Commission warned that the influx of refugees into Europe could trigger an economic crisis.
Mr Niinisto said the migrant crisis posed a serious threat to Western values and called for tougher rules to stop those moving simply for a better life.
He added: ‘ Migration is a problem. Europe, Finland, the Western way of thinking and our values have all been challenged. A few years ago we were exporti ng our values and regarded them as unquestionable, now we are having to consider whether we can preserve them.
‘The international rules were drawn up under quite different circumstances.’
The Finnish leader said the majority of asylum seekers were not fleeing immediate danger.
Last night t he European Commission warned the ‘unprecedented i nflow’ presented a ‘major political challenge’.