Five European Mediterranean countries, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Italy and Malta,
“on the front line in welcoming”
migrants, will meet on Friday March 19 in Athens to discuss
“common proposals”
on the new European migration pact and
“ the mechanism for the return of migrants who have been
refused asylum.
The objective of this two-day meeting, entitled “Med5”, is to present
“the common positions and proposals”
of these countries, according to Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi.
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The debates of the ministers in charge of migration issues will be held in a hotel in the southern suburbs of Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will attend on Saturday.
Athens insists on
“the importance of developing a strong and effective European mechanism for the compulsory return of migrants” who have been
refused asylum.
Provided for in the
"new pact on migration and asylum"
presented by the European Commission last September, cooperation with the countries of origin of migrants also involves development aid, investments, trade, better organization of legal immigration channels.
A week ago, European Commissioner Ylva Johansson, in charge of migration issues, felt that it was
"urgent"
to define with the Member States a list of countries with which to initiate negotiations as a priority to
"improve cooperation"
on the
“readmissions”
of migrants.
The Commissioner said she was ready to make
proposals
"as early as this summer"
for visa restrictions against countries that do not cooperate sufficiently to take back their nationals in an irregular situation in the EU.
The subject was also discussed Monday during a videoconference of European Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Migration.
Solidarity cooperation
Notis Mitarachi calls for
“EU member countries to create deportation corridors”
and define routes for the repatriation of migrants.
The policy of
"compulsory
returns
"
will also encourage
"voluntary returns"
, underlines the Greek minister.
For Athens, the issue is even more important as long as neighboring Turkey, where thousands of migrants and refugees come to Greece each year, does not accept those whose asylum applications have been rejected by the Greek authorities.
In an interview with AFP on Tuesday, Notis Mitarachi, referring to the controversial EU-Ankara declaration of March 2016, signed in the midst of a migration crisis to reduce the number of exiles to Europe, called on Turkey to accept migrants whose request asylum had been rejected.
In particular, he urges Ankara to take back 1,450 rejected migrants currently living on the Greek islands.
Athens also mentions the bilateral protocol signed in 2001 with Ankara which authorizes the return to Turkey of migrants who have arrived in Greece whose asylum application has been rejected.
Always reluctant to take back the exiles, Ankara often uses the migration issue to put pressure on Europe and ask for more financial assistance for the more than 3.5 million refugees on its territory.
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The five Mediterranean countries also want to tackle the crucial issue of “solidarity” cooperation between European countries to
“reduce their migratory burden” as “the first countries of reception of migrants”
Last November, Italy, Spain, Greece and Malta had deemed insufficient the solidarity between the club of 27 proposed in the new
"pact on migration and asylum"
of the European Commission.
In a joint letter, they then pointed out "imbalances between solidarity and responsibility" of States.