Greece has long since reached a new refugee crisis. The inventor of the deal with Turkey, Gerald Knaus, calls on heads of government like Angela Merkel to act.
- The refugee deal with Turkey was seen as the key to resolving the crisis for the EU in 2016.
- A good four years later, its inventor states that it failed.
- He calls on heads of government like Angela Merkel or Recep Tayyip Erdogan to finally act.
Munich - Gerald Knaus is seen as the head behind the EU agreement with Turkey, which was concluded in early 2016 to mark the wedding of the refugee crisis. The main actors at the time: Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan .
In an interview with the Tagesspiegel, Knaus looks back with fierce criticism for the political protagonists and looks ahead with care. The problems in Greece cannot be dismissed out of hand. Thousands of refugees still arrive there. The country is already sending refugees back to Turkey. The inhabitants of the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos, where more than 40,000 migrants now live in or near the registration camps, are upset. In the past week, this was unloaded during demonstrations on the islands. "We want our islands and our lives back," chanted thousands of islanders. Floating barriers are now supposed to prevent migrant boats from crossing from Turkey to Greece. But the EU should not agree with that.
Turkey / EU: Inventor of refugee deal warns Merkel and Erdogan - "Everything will collapse soon"
Knaus describes the situation on site as dramatic. In 2018 he was on Lesvos, “back then it was five to twelve. Today is five past twelve, the situation is much worse. Just as the EU and Greek authorities have been doing there for years, everything will collapse in the near future, ”said the Austrian immigration expert.
His deal? It doesn't work: “Between September and November 2019, 30,000 people came in three months. Last year 74,000 people came to Greece from Turkey. Count that on the population: that would correspond to 600,000 in Germany. ”Greece is currently experiencing 2015, and it will probably be worse in 2020 if nothing happens, Knaus is certain.
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He admits: “In Greece it failed from the start. In Turkey it has been a success from the start and has improved the lives of millions. ”
And yet in winter 2016, the alternative to the agreement would not have been a more human rights-friendly policy, but chaos. "And it's still like that. What we see in Lesbos is the result. The alternative to chaos is still today to actually implement the agreement, ”explains the 49-year-old. A strategy was finally needed.
Gerald Knaus.
© dpa / Francesco Scarpa
Knaus places the heads of government under an obligation: “The goal must be to take Greece-recognized refugees. Today Mitsotakis and Merkel, Rutte and Macron would have to sit down and say: We can do it. We show what a human border with control looks like. And we won't let Athens, Ankara or the Western Balkans down. It would be in Germany's interest because Germany remains the main destination for those who reach mainland Greece. ”
Refugees: Knaus demands vision from Merkel Germany
However: Germany does not care about the problem either, Knaus accuses the Berlin government and already has a suspicion: Too many topics on the agenda - see Brexit, Libya war and, and, and, and: "If the number of asylum applications in Germany is falling, and the number of those crossing the Mediterranean is tempting to ignore the problem. This way, one fire after another is fought instead of worrying about the fire protection regulations. ”
His advice: Germany needs a clear vision to protect Europe, both externally and within the rule of law. In return, Poland and other countries would have to accept the rule of law. Knaus doesn't sound optimistic.
Read also: Does trade force German agriculture into precarious contracts? The supermarket chains see it differently - but the Chancellor seems to see a need for speech.
The Libya conference with Chancellor Merkel is over. But the civil war country is not coming to rest - now a deal to combat migration with Italy is being criticized. The topic of migration policy could also become a topic at a meeting between Merkel and her counterpart Sebastian Kurz.
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