More than a fire

Several people spend the night outdoors in the vicinity of the Moria refugee camp.ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS / Reuters

The fire that has devastated the Moria refugee camp, on the Greek island of Lesbos, has generated a catastrophic situation that must be alleviated as soon as possible to avoid a new tragedy for thousands of people who sought refuge in the European Union escaping the war .

Thousands of people are sleeping in the open while humanitarian organizations denounce that they cannot access the area with help because some residents of the island, supported by elements of the extreme right, prevent the delivery of the minimum essential material.

This is happening in a democracy of the European Union in what constitutes not a crisis of ideological or political overtones, but a flagrant denial of assistance.

The fire was but the latest chapter in the dire situation in the largest refugee camp in the EU, opened in 2013 and with capacity for 2,800 people but which houses 13,000.

Its residents live in extremely overcrowded conditions, sleeping for years in tents and enduring endless lines to eat, go to the bathroom, or obtain medical or bureaucratic care.

The island's local authorities have been asking for a solution to the overcrowding of the camp, an opinion shared by human rights organizations that demand the evacuation of the refugees due to the magnitude of the fire, but the Greek Government plans to rebuild Moria not as a camp refugees, but as a totally closed detention center.

Of particular concern is the situation of 4,000 children, many of whom are homeless.

The decision of Athens to transfer 400 of them to the continent is a small palliative measure, but, by simple arithmetic, insufficient.

Athens has also indicated that it will send tents immediately.

A logical decision in the face of the emergency, but if it is not accompanied by other effective and short-term accommodation measures, it will not prevent Moria from returning to the unfortunate conditions before the accident.

The fire has brought to the fore a serious human and security problem that the European Union has not been able or able to solve so far and that has also been hidden in recent months by the coronavirus.

People seeking refuge in Europe cannot be reduced to mere factors in local political or geostrategic negotiations, as one misfortune after another befalls them.

The fact that the solution is complex —because the problem is— is no excuse.

Short-term and long-term measures must be taken.

And the Moria fire shows that neither has been adopted.