Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn is vehemently calling for minors to be brought into the EU from Greek refugee camps - but not on the initiative of individual member countries, but on the basis of an agreement at EU level. If individual states continue to refuse, their money should be cut.
"If individual member countries fail to answer questions about elementary humanity, it will have a very negative impact on the next EU budget," Asselborn told SPIEGEL. At least three quarters of the people who live in camps on the Greek islands, some of which are devastating, are entitled to asylum. "These people did not come to Greece", but to the EU - and the EU has to solve this problem, "said the longest serving European foreign minister.
Julien Warnand / epa-efe / ex
Jean Asselborn, here in June 2019, is the longest serving European Foreign Minister
Negotiations are currently underway in Brussels on the next multi-annual EU budget for the years 2021 to 2027. Germany, France, Luxembourg and other net contributors are demanding that payments be tied to compliance with EU fundamental values in the future. This is particularly aimed at countries like Hungary and Poland, whose governments are undermining the rule of law and democracy.
"More than the sum of 27 individual states"
Asselborn goes even further, however, by now calling for cuts in funds if EU countries do not accept refugees. The background: Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic still refuse to implement an EU decision on the redistribution of refugees in 2015 - although the European Court of Justice later ruled that the decision was final.
"The EU is more than the sum of 27 individual states," said Asselborn, "it is a community with common interests. Therefore, in addition to the rule of law, solidarity in issues such as asylum policy must be included in the negotiations for the next budget."
In addition, the unaccompanied minors in the Greek refugee camps are a maximum of 4,000 people. "For every million inhabitants of the EU, that's exactly nine people," says Asselborn. "Your admission is not a feat for anyone if all states move along."
On Tuesday, the EU Commission called on the member countries to take in the children from the refugee camps - with limited success to date. Asselborn is now asking the authority, led by Ursula von der Leyen, to come up with a concrete solution on which the responsible ministers of the member countries could decide at an informal meeting on January 23. "Going it alone a few states is not enough," said Asselborn, "otherwise we will never make any fundamental progress on this issue."
In Germany, the Green Party chairman Robert Habeck sparked the debate over the weekend by advocating bringing thousands of children from the Greek islands to Germany. The German government rejected the initiative and emphasized that it would look for a European solution in the future. "Germany cannot do this alone," said Deputy Government Spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer.
Also read:
- Commentary on Habeck's push: Nothing happens because nothing can happen
- Situation on Samos: Europe's prison island
