The French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin advocated Monday October 11 "
the Greek model
" of border control and hoped that other countries in southern Europe can set up secure registration camps, like the one inaugurated recently on the island of Samos.
Read alsoGreece is preparing for a new influx of migrants
"
We want the Greek model to be applied in other Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, Spain, Malta
", gateways for migrants and refugees in Europe, said Gérald Darmanin during an interview with AFP .
Fingerprints and electronic badges
Sunday, the Minister of the Interior went to the Greek island of Samos in the Aegean Sea opposite Turkey where the Greek authorities had inaugurated with great fanfare at the end of September a "
closed and controlled access
" camp
surrounded by barbed wire and of watchtowers.
Asylum seekers can only go out from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and are forced to present their fingerprints and an electronic badge at the magnetic gate at the entrance.
This camp replaced the old overcrowded and sordid camp, located near the port of Vathy.
Read alsoGreece inaugurates its first "closed" camp for asylum seekers in Samos
Greece has pledged to build other “
closed
”
camps
like the one in Samos, with European funds, on four other Aegean islands. "
We ask the southern EU countries to do like the Greeks to control the external borders more and other countries to accept a system of solidarity
", declared the French minister.
For many human rights NGOs including Amnesty International, this new camp "
prevents the effective identification of vulnerable people
" and "
limits asylum seekers' access to services
".
"
In the opinion of people who worked in the former Vathy camp but also asylum seekers, living conditions are better
", nevertheless assured the French minister.
Strengthening security on the Greek islands
"
This impressive camp was designed as a waiting center and allows the Greeks to hold their borders well,
" he added.
Compared to 2015, when some jihadists had infiltrated the flow of refugees who arrived in Greece to reach Europe and in particular to participate in the attacks of November 13, security has been reinforced on the Greek islands.
Read alsoGreece: arrest of a Syrian, suspected jihadist
"
There are still fears of terrorist attacks but today in France the threat is essentially endogenous, within our country,
" said Gerald Darmanin.
France, which will hold the six-monthly presidency of the European Union from January, intends to make strengthening Europe's external borders a priority.
"
We would like all the countries which are at the borders of Europe to be able to have the same policy of control and registration of the people who enter the European territory in particular for questions of security
", noted the French minister.
