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Thursday, 14 November 2019 - Brussels Revised edition

2. Situation of migrants in Bosnia, in particular in Bihać (debate)
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  President. – The first item on the agenda is the Council and Commission statements on the situation of migrants in Bosnia, in particular in Bihać (2019/2900(RSP)).

Before I open the debate, I would like to inform you that in order to request catch-the-eye and blue cards, it will be possible to use both the standards registration and the new system allowing Members to register electronically. Therefore, I invite you to always bring your voting card. Should you wish to register for catch-the-eye, I invite you to do so starting from the point when we finish with the speeches on behalf of the political groups, without waiting for the end of the debate. The blue cards will be allowed only after the speeches on behalf of the political groups are finished.

 
  
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  Tytti Tuppurainen, President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, allow me to start by saying that although serious, the migratory situation in the Western Balkans has been improving over the last two years, especially in 2019. The number of arrivals in all European migratory routes for the first three quarters of 2019 was 19% lower than last year, which is a positive signal.

The numbers show that the EU is doing its utmost to improve the general situation and alleviate the migratory and humanitarian pressure that countries in the Western Balkans are facing. However, Bosnia and Herzegovina has become a major route into the EU. As all of us are aware, the crisis that Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently undergoing is most severe in the north-west of the country, in the Una-Sana Canton with Bihać as its centre.

The EU continues to monitor the situation on the ground and will do everything it can to improve the overall humanitarian situation. It is crucial that the national and local authorities do their part of the work – reach an agreement and provide refugees and migrants with proper accommodation.

We are committed to helping Bosnia and Herzegovina deal with this situation and delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. As the most pressing matter, the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities must relocate, without delay, migrants and refugees from the unsuitable site of Vucjak. At meetings with representatives of the city and cantonal authorities the EU continues to urge the immediate closure of this temporary camp.

We are also concerned that existing reception capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina remain largely insufficient. The country’s official refugee camps are full. Unfortunately, in spite of the EU’s readiness to provide the necessary financial support, the government has not allocated new sites nor proposed suitable locations for the needed additional reception facilities.

There is a strong need to ensure effective functioning of the existing temporary reception centres and we take note of the authorities’ commitment in this respect.

The Council defends the dignity and safety of all persons, especially the most vulnerable ones. These persons need to be protected. The Presidency would also like to express its appreciation for the work of all the humanitarian partners whose activities must be facilitated and supported.

The EU expresses its readiness to continue providing additional support to the affected communities on the ground while searching at the same time for a more permanent solution. The overarching goal of our efforts is to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in managing mixed migration flows in light of the increasing number of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants arriving in the country in the past two years.

When it comes to the current crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we must work hard to ensure that the country’s authorities, at all levels of government, work together and manage the migration situation in an effective manner. Asylum seekers, refugees and migrants now living in deplorable and difficult conditions must be allocated adequate premises in line with EU requirements. There is no time to wait.

A swift coordination and reaction is what is expected from all of us. We need to consolidate our efforts to resolve the most pressing problems. A permanent solution needs to strengthen Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capacity to identify and register third country nationals crossing the border.

The final goal should also include the fight against trafficking in human beings, migrant smuggling and other types of cross-border crime, which is ever present in mixed migration flows.

 
  
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  Dimitris Avramopoulos, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, let me start by welcoming today’s debate about the situation of refugees and migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It could not have come at a more timely moment. As you know, the Commission is fully informed and closely following developments, including the extremely poor conditions at the Vučjak site and in Bihać, which nobody should have to endure.

What happens in the region of the Western Balkans affects all of us, and affects the rest of Europe too. This is why the European Union has always stood by the side of our Western Balkans partners as well as by the side of the refugees and the migrants in those countries.

The debate is even more timely, because the annual EU-Western Balkans Home Affairs Ministerial Forum takes place next week, which will give me an opportunity to discuss the issue with my counterparts.

Allow me first to give you the general picture, the wider picture. Since 2018 around 50 000 people have crossed through Bosnia and Herzegovina on their way towards Western Europe. Around 8 000 people remain, mostly in the north-west corner, the Una-Sana canton, where the local authorities are bearing the brunt of migration management.

The Commission responded immediately to the needs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the year 2018, we have mobilised over EUR 36 million to address the immediate needs of refugees and migrants and to strengthen the migration management capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This includes the EUR 2 million humanitarian assistance that we made available last month.

Due to the very limited capacity of the official facilities, five temporary reception centres were set up with EU funds in 2018, providing accommodation for up to 4 000 people, 30% of which are families with children and 10% are unaccompanied minors. This prevented a humanitarian crisis last winter.

Now, since accommodation capacities remain insufficient, we have repeatedly urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to identify suitable additional sites for temporary reception centres. Last August, we allocated EUR 10 million to support the refurbishment and management of new centres. We have also mobilised a senior expert on migration management to assist the authorities in their internal coordination.

Yet despite the significant resources allocated, and the intense political dialogue, we are still waiting for Bosnia and Herzegovina, for their authorities, to agree on the location of new reception centres and to increase the capacities of existing centres. Moreover, the forced disembarkation from trains and buses, and the limiting of migrants’ access to services have contributed to the deterioration in the humanitarian situation.

We are therefore discussing with key partners how to help the authorities to best address the most urgent needs of migrants and refugees, especially the most vulnerable groups. At the same time, we have raised with the authorities the risk of a humanitarian crisis in the coming winter.

And now let me come back to the situation in Bihać. We cannot accept the continued transfers of migrants and refugees to the entirely unsuitable location of Vučjak, where the health and lives of people are being put at serious risk by the lack of access to water, sanitation, shelter and protection. Similar concerns have been expressed by the United Nations agencies. The site is a former landfill close to minefields. It does not fulfil the minimal requirements for decent reception conditions, therefore no EU financial support can or will be provided for it. I want to be very clear on that.

We have asked the local authorities to dismantle the site without further delay and to move the persons currently accommodated there to adequate facilities. We take note, as a first positive step, of the decision taken this week by the government of the federation entity to approve the use of two military barracks as temporary reception centres in a place called Blažuj near Sarajevo, and Ljubace near Tuzla.

We now expect such a decision to be implemented swiftly, in order to relieve the pressure on the Una-Sana Canton, and the transfer of the persons currently in Vučjak. Let me also add, let me also say, that we remain concerned about alleged cases of violent pushback and mistreatment of migrants at the Croatian border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. We take such reports from civil society and international organisations very seriously. Any form of violence against refugees and migrants is unacceptable.

We are in close contact with the Croatian authorities. We have committed to investigate the allegations of mistreatment of migrants and refugees at its external borders and to keeping the Commission informed. In this context, at the request of the Commission, a monitoring mechanism has been established aimed at ensuring that the border control activities by Croatian Border Guard officers remain fully compliant with EU law, international obligations and with the respect for fundamental rights and the rights resulting from the EU asylum rules.

I recently visited Zagreb again in the context of our evaluation of Croatia’s readiness to join Schengen. Their commitment was again reiterated on this occasion.

Despite all the support that we have provided, the heavy pressure and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains deeply concerning, especially in light of the upcoming winter. We all want to avoid a worsening of the situation and a new humanitarian crisis. We are doing all we can to help Bosnia and Herzegovina to address this situation. The dignity and safety of all affected persons needs to be ensured and protected. We will continue engaging with the country’s authorities as well as with civil society and international organisations on the ground on this very pressing issue.

I know that this House shares the same concerns and I’m looking forward to hearing your views today.

 
  
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  Karlo Ressler, u ime kluba PPE. – Poštovani predsjedavajući, improvizirani kamp Vučjak, samo 6 kilometara od hrvatske granice, na mjestu nekadašnjeg odlagališta otpada, izravno je doprinio značajnom pogoršanju humanitarne situacije. Usprkos svim naporima, životni uvjeti migranata u Bosni i Hercegovini su i dalje potpuno neprihvatljivi, a pojačana su i nezakonita migracijska kretanja na jedinom kopnenom migracijskom pravcu prema Europskoj uniji. To nažalost osjećaju migranti, ali isto tako i građani bihaćkog i cijelog pograničnog područja.

Uzrok takvog stanja su nekontrolirani i nezakoniti ulasci u Bosnu i Hercegovinu zbog nedostatka kapaciteta, što otvoreno priznaju i čelnici bosanskohercegovačke granične policije, ali nažalost i ponekad nedostatak volje. Zato danas Hrvatska podnosi jedan od najvećih tereta migracijskog pritiska u cijeloj Europskoj uniji. U posljednje vrijeme suočavamo se i s pokušajima političkog pritiska zbog predane zaštite europske granice.

Općenitih, neutemeljenih ili neprovjerljivih navoda o navodnom nehumanom postupanju prema migrantima vrlo vjerojatno će biti i u današnjoj raspravi. Međutim, ne smijemo popustiti ciljanim pritiscima jer imamo dužnost prema svim europskim građanima štititi najdužu kopnenu granicu Europske unije. Jasno, i dalje uz poštovanje svih prava i dostojanstva migranata te pomoći spašavanje u po život opasnim situacijama u koje ih dovode trgovci ljudima, a čemu svjedočimo i proteklih dana u potresnim primjerima.

 
  
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  Dietmar Köster, im Namen der S&D-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Mittlerweile flüchten wieder mehr Menschen nach Bosnien und Herzegowina mit dem Ziel, die EU zu erreichen.

Rund 7 500 Menschen sitzen in der Region rund um Bihać fest. Ungefähr 1 000 sind gezwungen, auf der Müllhalde Vučjak zu vegetieren. Wenn sie versuchen, die Grenze nach Kroatien zu überschreiten, um ihren Asylantrag zu stellen, werden sie von der kroatischen Polizei misshandelt und gewaltsam zurückgewiesen.

Hier kommt eine mangelnde Solidarität und Empathie mit flüchtenden Menschen zum Ausdruck, die insgesamt Ausdruck einer tiefen Krise der Humanität der Europäischen Union ist. Damit zerstört die EU ihr eigenes Wertefundament. Deshalb fordere ich: Wie angekündigt muss das Lager in Vučjak sofort aufgelöst werden, und die Menschen müssen nach internationalem Standard untergebracht werden. Kroatien muss diese Verstöße gegen EU- und internationales Recht in Form von Push-backs endlich stoppen. Deshalb muss die EU endlich Kroatien dazu verpflichten, dass die dortige Polizei ihre Gewalt beendet.

Die Flüchtenden müssen ihren Asylantrag stellen dürfen. Kroatien kann nur dann Mitglied des Schengen-Raums werden, wenn diese Push-backs, die widerrechtlich sind, gestoppt werden. Wir brauchen eine europäische Lösung und müssen uns auf einen Verteilungsmechanismus für Flüchtlinge insgesamt verständigen. Flüchtende und Migranten sind keine Bedrohung. Sogenannte Grenzsicherung genießt keinen Vorrang vor den Menschenrechten. Es ist unsere verdammte Pflicht, Flüchtenden ein Leben in Würde zu ermöglichen!

 
  
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  Tineke Strik, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, the humanitarian situation at the Bosnian-Croatian border is beyond imagination and human dignity. In the overcrowded Vucjak camp, people face a lack of water, electricity, toilets and adequate food, but they are not allowed to go elsewhere in Bosnia, and let me remind you that one out of five is a child and winter is yet to come. Their problem is the result of the vigorous and violent systematic pushbacks at the border with Croatia. As the Croatian Government denies migrants their right to access to an asylum procedure, they get stuck on Bosnian territory. I thank the Commissioner for his comments on the pushbacks, but if we take our European rules and values seriously, he should do more to force Croatia to comply with our asylum standards instead of promoting their accession to Schengen. What is the Finnish Presidency’s view on these pushback allegations and their relation to Schengen?

At the same time, migrants in Bosnia need our immediate support. It is good that we reject the Vucjak camp, but we must also give immediate support to organise professional and decent reception conditions and a solid asylum system. What can the Commissioner and the Finnish Presidency do to organise resettlement for the most vulnerable ones, among them, two European Member States?

 
  
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  Dominique Bilde, au nom du groupe ID. – Monsieur le Président, ne nous trompons pas de combat en tirant à boulets rouges sur les forces de l’ordre croates, soucieuses d’endiguer l’afflux de migrants vers l’Union européenne. À l’évidence, ceux qui, comme la Croatie ou la République serbe de Bosnie, ont eu le courage d’opter résolument pour une politique de fermeté ont réussi à juguler, un tant soit peu, la déferlante migratoire.

Qu’aujourd’hui, le maire de Bihać renâcle à l’accueil d’un flux ininterrompu de pseudo-réfugiés – dont 85 % sont en réalité des migrants économiques, comme le reconnaissait en 2018 le coordinateur de l’Organisation internationale pour la migration de Sarajevo – démontre, s’il en était encore besoin, à quel point les capacités d’accueil sont largement dépassées, partout en Europe. Nous pouvons nous insurger contre sa décision de ne plus assurer d’aide matérielle aux nouveaux arrivants mais force est de constater que la Bosnie-Herzégovine n’a rien d’autre à partager avec eux que sa propre infortune. Le FMI n’a-t-il pas encore récemment dégradé la prévision de croissance du pays, qui reste l’un des plus pauvres d’Europe? Du reste, la crise migratoire n’est que la partie immergée de l’iceberg, des difficultés de «cet État failli, ce concept raté», selon l’expression bien trouvée de Milorad Dodik.

 
  
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  Ruža Tomašić, u ime kluba ECR. – Poštovani predsjedavajući, Bosna i Hercegovina suočava se s velikim migrantskim pritiskom koji se sve više prelijeva na Hrvatsku.

U pograničnim područjima situacija postaje neodrživa, a prijeti nam i snažna humanitarna kriza. U Hrvatskoj na migrantskoj ruti raste stopa kriminaliteta, a lokalno stanovništvo boji se za svoju sigurnost i imovinu. Bosna i Hercegovina sa svojim političkim i financijskim ograničenjima nema kapaciteta samostalno odraditi posao na svom teritoriju, a države preko kojih migranti pristižu u BIH nisu od prevelike pomoći jer slabo zaustavljaju ilegalne migrante. Jugoistočna Europa funkcionira po principu spojenih posuda i zato je jedino pravo rješenje trajno zaustavljanje masovnog preljeva ilegalnih migranata.

Europa mora reagirati kao cjelina. Pretvaranje srednje i zapadne Europe u utvrdu, dok se istovremeno jugoistok kontinenta prepušta kaosu, moglo bi se u budućnosti pokazati pogubnim.

 
  
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  Cornelia Ernst, im Namen der GUE/NGL-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, meine Damen und Herren! Wir sprechen zu Recht von Seenotrettung, wir müssen aber genauso über Landnotrettung sprechen, über Flüchtlinge, die an den Außengrenzen, an den Landgrenzen der EU ums Überleben kämpfen. Bosnien ist Spielball dieser EU-Politik. Es ist ein Dominoeffekt, der dort eingetreten ist, weil Mitgliedstaaten ihre Grenzen für Flüchtlinge geschlossen haben. Dieser Dominoeffekt führt dazu, dass Tausende Flüchtlinge im viertärmsten Land Europas festsitzen. Die EU tut nichts, aber auch gar nichts gegen die Hunderte von Push-backs, sie tut nichts dagegen, dass Hunde auf Flüchtlinge gehetzt werden, unbegleitete Kinder Menschenhändlern überlassen werden, brutale Polizeigewalt und Folter an diesen Grenzen auf der Tagesordnung stehen.

Um so richtig es ist, die Bosnier aufzufordern, die Lage Geflüchteter zu verbessern, so richtig ist es auch zu sagen: Die Hauptursache liegt nicht in Bosnien, sondern hier in der EU und bei den Mitgliedstaaten. Wir verlangen deshalb eine sofortige Beendigung jedweder Push-backs. Familienzusammenführung, der Schutz unbegleiteter Kinder, wie es die internationalen Konventionen gebieten – das muss sein! Angesichts des nahenden Winters fordern wir Kommission und Mitgliedstaaten auf, Flüchtlinge aus Bosnien aus humanitären Gründen in die EU einreisen zu lassen, um hier die Asylanträge in dieser Zeit bearbeiten zu lassen. Machen Sie, Kommission und Rat, endlich den Weg frei für ein faires und menschenwürdiges EU-Asylsystem! Der Ball liegt nicht in Bihać, der Ball liegt in der EU.

 
  
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  Naomi Long, on behalf of the Renew Group. – Mr President, without urgent and immediate action, thousands of people in Bosnia could die this winter. The Bosnian authorities must immediately close the camp at Vucjak and provide safe, clean and habitable accommodation for those who are currently languishing there.

International aid NGOs – from Médicine sans Frontières, to Red Cross and Red Crescent – have been clear from the outset about the unsuitable nature of this camp without clean water and sanitation, without proper medical care, and located in areas still landmined from the conflict. Those warnings must be heeded urgently.

But this is not just a Bosnian problem; it is a European Union problem, and it can only be resolved by joint action and cooperation across the Union. Earlier this year, the Commission declared Europe’s migrant crisis over, but that is not the experience of people in Vucjak. They are living out their own personal migrant crises every day. I may be from a group of islands in the far northwest reaches of the EU, at the opposite end of Europe, but as much as some at home may wish it were, this cannot be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. The UK and Ireland, along with every other EU nation, have a role in ending the cruel and callous treatment of migrants. We are living through the consequences of our own pandering to the far right on issues of immigration, asylum and international development aid. We saw that pandering in our own Parliament here a few weeks ago, when people disgracefully voted down a motion on search and rescue in the Mediterranean. Whether it’s in a lorry in England, a capsized boat in the Mediterranean, or a former landfill in rural Bosnia, how many more people will die before we get our act together?

Every EU Member State must facilitate a safe pathway for migrants and humane treatment for them while their applications to remain are considered. The proof is overwhelming and horrifying. Closing our borders does not work. It costs lives. Now is the time to ensure that compassion is at the heart of our migration policy and to hold those who fall short to account.

 
  
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  Ivan Vilibor Sinčić (NI). – Poštovani predsjedavajući, moram reći da dolazim iz grada Karlovca koji je pedesetak kilometara od Unsko-sanskog kantona.

Postavlja se pitanje zašto ovdje danas govorimo baš o krizi na tom području. Vrlo jednostavno, zašto je kamp baš tu? Zato što migranti znaju da je to mjesto gdje mogu proći. Obišao sam te krajeve, obišao sam dolinu Une, obišao sam Liku, karlovački kraj, obišao sam Gorski kotar i policajci koji čuvaju te prijelaze, koji čuvaju te mostove, koji čuvaju te ceste svi su mi redom rekli: „Nas je premalo, koliko je to stotina kilometara granice. Mi je ne možemo kontroliratiˮ, suprotno onome što govori Ministar i Premijer. Ljudi koji žive na tom području, recimo u Begovom Razdolju, tamo je stradao veći broj planinarskih domova, turizam je splasnuo, biciklizam, a to je izrazito siromašan kraj, slabo naseljen kraj, i to im je zadnja „zelena granaˮ od koje žive.

Treba reći da jedino trajno rješenje za ovaj problem, a procjenjuje se recimo da će stanovništvo samo Afrike porasti sa sadašnjih 1,3 milijarde na 2,5 milijarde, je da se uspostave normalni uvjeti za život u svim zemljama Afrike i Azije. Što to znači? Prvo, mir. Prestanite bombardirati Siriju, Libiju, podrivati druge suverene zemlje. Drugo, to znači kraj eksploatacije. Dug je popis korporacija koje eksploatiraju zemlje Afrike za razne mineralne resurse, a u tom novom programu, novoj politici prednjačiti trebaju upravo one zemlje koje su stoljećima bile kolonijalne sile na tom području. Ako se to ne napravi, ovaj problem, ova humanitarna kriza neće imati kraja.

 
  
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  Paulo Rangel (PPE). – Senhor Presidente, Presidência finlandesa, Senhor Comissário, como relator do Parlamento Europeu para a Bósnia-Herzegovina eu julgo que temos aqui uma responsabilidade especial. A situação em Bihać e na Bósnia é dramática. Não vale a pena estarmos aqui, como estamos sempre, ou que se culpa a Croácia nas fronteiras, ou que se culpa a Sérvia do outro lado, ou as autoridades bósnias que estão a falhar. A situação é dramática e por isso a responsabilidade da União Europeia é ter um plano de emergência já no terreno neste inverno.

Eu tenho a certeza, até porque tenho essa informação, que as autoridades bósnias estão disponíveis não apenas para receber a ajuda financeira, como aqui se disse, que não é o problema, o problema não é financeiro. Nós precisamos de criar uma equipa a partir da Frontex, que não é com o ou dois especialistas, é uma equipa numerosa para enfrentar a situação, designadamente em Bihać mas também noutros campos, e para ajudar as autoridades bósnias a resolverem a situação.

E se nós formos capazes de pôr esta força no terreno, que as autoridades bósnias aceitarão de bom grado, se nós o fizermos de forma inteligente, eu tenho a certeza que, em primeiro lugar, nós estancamos o problema humanitário e teremos muito maior capacidade de fazer a triagem entre migrantes económicos e refugiados e dar um encaminhamento àqueles que puderem vir a entrar na União Europeia.

 
  
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  Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señor presidente, presidencia finlandesa, comisario Avramopoulos, sabemos que al menos ciento cincuenta personas procedentes de Oriente Medio y Asia intentan cada noche desesperadamente cruzar la frontera entre Bosnia y Herzegovina y Croacia, por Bihać, y se hacinan por decisión policial en el campamento de Vucjak, donde la situación de salud pública y emergencia humanitaria es realmente dramática. No hay Pleno del Parlamento Europeo en el que no pongamos de manifiesto la falta de solidaridad y voluntad política de cumplimiento del Derecho europeo en lo relativo a programas de reubicación entre Estados miembros de la Unión Europea y de reasentamiento, cuando se trata de un Estado fronterizo, como es el caso de Bosnia, que no es miembro de la Unión Europea. Pero ¿qué puede esperar Bosnia de la estatura moral de la Unión Europea, si dentro de unos minutos estaremos discutiendo la dramática situación en Lesbos, absolutamente insostenible, en su país, comisario Avramopoulos, abandonado a su suerte durante demasiado tiempo por la insolidaridad de la Unión Europea y por la absoluta falta de estatura moral a la hora de cumplir los mandatos vinculantes del Derecho europeo? Hay programas de reasentamiento. Este Parlamento los ha adoptado como parte del sistema europeo de asilo; este sistema, embrionario, como pueda ser, está en pie y es vinculante para los Estados miembros. Es lo que cabe esperar para hacer frente a esta emergencia humanitaria que, lamentablemente, ni es la única ni será la última en ser debatida en este Pleno del Parlamento Europeo.

 
  
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  Romeo Franz (Verts/ALE). – Herr Präsident! Bosnien und Herzegowina liegt im Herzen Europas zwischen Griechenland und Kroatien und befindet sich gerade jetzt aufgrund der schlechten Flüchtlingspolitik der EU in einer verheerenden Situation. Illegale Push-backs von Kroatien sind die Regel und verschärfen die Lage der Geflüchteten, aber auch die der bosnischen Menschen. Die Unterbringung der Menschen ist mittlerweile schon unmenschlich zu nennen. Obwohl die Bürgerinnen und Bürger Bosniens sehr engagiert waren, schlägt durch diese illegalen Push-backs die Stimmung um, denn man ist damit schlichtweg überfordert.

Wir müssen unseren Nachbarländern helfen und dürfen sie nicht alleine lassen. Wir können nicht akzeptieren, dass Flüchtende im Mittelmeer ertrinken, aber auch nicht akzeptieren, dass drei Flugstunden von hier Menschen im bosnisch-kroatischen Grenzgebiet jämmerlich erfrieren.

Ich fordere Kroatien auf, illegale Push-backs zu unterbinden. Die bosnischen Behörden müssen ihre Bemühungen verstärken. Die EU ist aufgefordert, vor Ort alles Menschenmögliche zur operativen Unterstützung zu leisten, was denkbar ist.

(Der Redner ist damit einverstanden, eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“ gemäß Artikel 171 Absatz 8 der Geschäftsordnung zu beantworten.)

 
  
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  Tomislav Sokol (PPE), pitanje koje je podizanjem plave kartice postavio. – Poštovani predsjedavajući, spomenuli ste ilegalne pushbackove, pa molim vas da nam ovdje podnesete dokaze za vaše tvrdnje. Koliko znam, ni jedna nadležna institucija nije utvrdila da se postupa protivno europskim propisima, protivno međunarodnom pravu. Dapače, Republika Hrvatska poštuje sve svoje obveze koje proizlaze iz europskog prava, što bih posebno naglasio. Tako da molim da podastrete dokaze za vaše tvrdnje, a koje nisu nekakve prijave kojekakvih NGO-a koji imaju vrlo jasnu političku agendu.

 
  
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  Romeo Franz (Verts/ALE), Antwort auf eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Wir haben genug Beweise. Ich kann Ihnen das in diesem Bericht zeigen, den ich hier habe, den gebe ich Ihnen gern zu lesen. Dann können Sie sehen, wann und wie viele illegale Push-backs stattgefunden haben.

 
  
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  Elena Lizzi (ID). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, l'Unione europea deve occuparsi anche delle ricadute sui cittadini degli Stati membri che vivono lungo la rotta balcanica.

Il Friuli Venezia Giulia, regione autonoma italiana, al confine con Slovenia ed Austria, guarda con grande preoccupazione alla situazione dei migranti in Bosnia. Gli arrivi dei migranti in Friuli Venezia Giulia crescono. Sono oltre 5 500 gli ingressi dall'inizio del 2019 a fine settembre. Secondo i dati delle prefetture regionali i richiedenti asilo presenti sul territorio a fine settembre ammontano a oltre 2 900, mentre erano 5 000 all'inizio del 2018.

Il calo del 40 % è dovuto alla politica di Matteo Salvini, che ha permesso di gestire una situazione potenzialmente esplosiva. C'è la preoccupazione, oggi, di ritornare ai numeri dei migranti registrati nel 2018 e l'incertezza è alimentata anche dalla politica migratoria del governo giallorosso.

Bisognerà inoltre tenere conto dell'impatto sul flusso migratorio dell'ingresso della Croazia nello spazio Schengen. Facciamo in modo che la rotta balcanica non diventi un grande Bihać.

 
  
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  Malin Björk (GUE/NGL). – Herr talman! Vi har, precis som kollegorna har sagt här, fruktansvärda rapporter om brott mot mänskliga rättigheter, mot internationell lag, mot EU-lag. Människor som lever under helt omöjliga förhållanden, vilket liknar det vi kanske kommer höra om Grekland men där i något mindre antal.

Situationen i Bosnien är inte bara ett bosniskt problem eller ett bosniskt ansvar. Det är en direkt konsekvens av EU:s politik: EU:s misslyckade flyktingpolitik där vi inte fördelar ansvaret och EU:s gränspolitik. Jag skäms faktiskt när jag hör högern. Som svar på en humanitär katastrof, så vill de skicka in fler poliser. Det är högerns svar på allting. Nej, när vi står inför en humanitär katastrof så ska vi bemöta det med humanitära aktioner.

Den här situationen är också en direkt konsekvens av att vi har illegala pushbacks. Vi har dem framför allt från Kroatien men också till viss del från Slovenien. Det blir så här när det enda mätaren på framgång för EU:s politik är ett minskat antal som anländer till Europa. I stället ska vi mäta vår framgång inom migrationspolitiken genom hur många EU kan ge skydd åt. Det är det som ska vara vår framgångsmätare.

I think the issue here is that we should not give Schengen membership to Croatia in a situation where they’re not living up to the EU acquis. That is very concrete action I want to ask the Commission and the Council what they count on doing on that.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question under Rule 171(8))

 
  
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  Karlo Ressler (PPE), blue-card question. – These allegations are completely false and unconfirmed. Because of that I firmly believe that this kind of political pressure is actually trying to change the policy of the Croatian Government, which is effectively protecting the European borders. I can understand both points of view but we have to distinguish correctly between political pressure and completely undocumented and false allegations.

 
  
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  Malin Björk (GUE/NGL), blue-card answer. – As my colleague from the Green Group has already shown, there are reports – not only from NGOs, but also from UNHCR and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. This Chamber and the Council and the Commission must take the consequences. There should be no membership of Croatia in Schengen until you live up to the EU acquis. We must say no to pushback, wherever it happens, in Croatia or elsewhere. Pushback is an illegal act and the European Union has to protect humanitarian law, not its borders – that cannot be the end game.

 
  
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  Milan Zver (PPE). – Gospod predsednik, točko, ki je danes na dnevnem redu: Migrantska situacija v Bihaću, bi morali obravnavati že zdavnaj, pa morda teh težav sploh ne bi bilo. Tako pa se vedno znova in znova ukvarjamo s posledicami problema.

Upravljanje Evropske unije z migracijami zgleda tako, kot da rep maha s psom, ne pa obratno. Zato balkanska pot realno obstaja in tudi drugi problemi, povezani z nezakonitimi migracijami. Problem migracij se mora reševati predvsem na izvoru, ker tega ne počnemo, so meje izjemno propustne, tudi v Sloveniji, kjer se iz meseca v mesec povečuje število prehodov meje s strani nezakonitih migrantov in v organizaciji tihotapcev, ki jo vsa mašinerija, ki jo premore EU, ne more premagati. Varnostna situacija na slovenski južni meji se je popolnoma spremenila in ljudi je strah.

V Evropski uniji smo si zadali jasne cilje glede vračanja nezakonitih migrantov nazaj v varne države oziroma v države izvora. Meni se zdi neodgovorno, da teh ciljev niti približno ne izpolnjujemo. Ravno zato ker nezakonitih migrantov ne vračamo, zmanjkuje prostora za resnične begunce, torej tiste, ki so dejansko v življenjski nevarnosti.

Potrebno je pripraviti jasno politiko, kratkoročne in dolgoročne ukrepe, tudi kar se Bihaća tiče. Predvsem pa je treba nezakonitim migrantom in tihotapcem dati jasen signal, da v Uniji nezakonite migracije niso zaželene niti dovoljene.

 
  
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  Pietro Bartolo (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, quello che sta accadendo in Bosnia ed Erzegovina, a un passo dai nostri confini, in un paese che ad oggi ha ricevuto 38 milioni di euro per la gestione dell'immigrazione, è assolutamente inaccettabile.

A Bihać i migranti in transito sono vittime di violenze, discriminazioni e abusi, nessuno dei campi è in buone condizioni, ma il campo di Vučjak è semplicemente disumano. Stiamo parlando di un campo creato dalle autorità cittadine in mezzo alla foresta, dove prima c'era una discarica, non c'è luce né acqua corrente, le condizioni igienico-sanitarie sono pessime e le persone sono in costante rischio per la vicinanza ai campi minati e alle riserve di gas metano.

Non possiamo semplicemente ignorare questa situazione. La Commissione europea sta monitorando l'uso dei fondi concessi alla Bosnia? Farete pressioni sulle autorità bosniache per chiedere la chiusura del campo di Vučjak? Campo che non dovrebbe neanche esistere. E cosa intendete fare in risposta ai respingimenti della Croazia verso la Bosnia, che non fanno altro che peggiorare la situazione di Bihać?

Io comprendo gli sforzi che sta facendo la Commissione, ma sicuramente la Commissione può fare di più e deve fare di più. D'altronde, ricordo a qualcuno che stiamo parlando di esseri umani, donne, uomini, bambini e abbiamo il dovere di intervenire urgentemente, anche in vista dell'inverno che sarà sicuramente molto duro.

(L’oratore accetta di rispondere a una domanda “cartellino blu”, articolo 171, paragrafo 8, del regolamento)

 
  
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  Tomislav Sokol (PPE), pitanje koje je podizanjem plave kartice postavio. – Poštovani predsjedavajući, želio bih Vas pitati zašto širite lažne informacije. Nikakvih potvrđenih, konačnih dokaza o nelegalnom postupanju od strane Hrvatske nema, niti jednog jedinog dokaza. Postoje kojekakve lažne prijave raznih zainteresiranih skupina koje kroz to guraju svoje političke interese, ali to su sve dezinformacije, to je fake news.

Hrvatska postupa sukladno europskim propisima, čuva europsku vanjsku granicu, najdulju vanjsku granicu Europske unije, postupa u skladu s međunarodnim pravom pa bih molio da se priče o pushbackovima ne ponavljaju ovdje u Europskom parlamentu jer jednostavno nisu istinite.

 
  
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  Pietro Bartolo (S&D), Risposta a una domanda "cartellino blu". – Rispondo anche in meno di trenta secondi.

Come è stato detto dai colleghi, abbiamo delle prove sicuramente inconfutabili che provengono dalle varie associazioni che si trovano presenti in quella zona. Quindi, io credo di non dire il falso, ma sicuramente capisco anche gli sforzi che sta facendo la Bosnia, ma capisco pure che ci sono delle violazioni palesi dei diritti umani in quella regione.

 
  
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  Željana Zovko (PPE). – Mr President, I will speak in English to be better understood here. Along more 1 000 kilometres, Croatia is protecting the longest external border of the European Union, mostly with Bosnia and Herzegovina. In its resolution of February 2019 this Parliament noted with concern the increasing number of migrants arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina via their eastern neighbours, and the lack of coordination between different levels of government in responding to this situation. We called for better border management with Bosnia and Herzegovina and to strengthen the specialised human trafficking investigation units to effectively combat smugglers.

Unfortunately, according to the latest statement given by the authorities in charge of implementing these measures, Bosnia and Herzegovina is failing to protect its borders and its citizens. Even the chief of border police in Bosnia and Herzegovina openly stated that they cannot control the borders, and appealed for help.

Apart from this, Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians have not followed the recommendations of this House, of the High Representative and of the Commissioner for enlargement. For more than a year they have not formed a council of ministers that would provide the European Union with an appropriate interlocutor. Once again, we call upon the political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to finally form a council of ministers so we can work hand in hand to resolve this terrible crisis. Thank you very much, and finally you should understand what is going on in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 
  
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  Bettina Vollath (S&D). – Herr Präsident! Im September – in Vučjak – musste ich mitten in Europa die Folgen dessen sehen, was europäische Regierungen als die Schließung der Balkanroute verkauft haben.

Nichts ist geschlossen, sondern diese Politik hat das Elend für Flüchtlinge gemeinsam mit den Gewinnen der Schlepper größer gemacht. Menschen warten unversorgt in Dreck und Kälte darauf, dass Europa ihnen hilft. Die Verantwortung liegt nicht bei den bosnischen Behörden allein, sondern ist das Resultat der verfehlten europäischen Asylpolitik und der illegalen Push-backs der kroatischen Polizei.

Noch ist sinnloses Sterben zu verhindern. Ich bitte Sie daher, geschätzte Vertreterinnen von Rat und Kommission, das Reden abzuschließen und zu handeln. Es braucht menschenwürdige Unterkünfte, sofortigen Stopp der illegalen Push-backs Kroatiens und legale Wege für Asylanträge. Promoting the European Way of Life heißt, die Beitrittsperspektive für den Westbalkan genauso an Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Wahrung der Menschenrechte zu binden, wie das auch vom EU-Mitglied Kroatien eingefordert werden muss.

 
  
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  Pierfrancesco Majorino (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, io credo che dobbiamo smetterla di non vedere.

Siamo infatti di fronte a una vera e propria emergenza umanitaria. Nel campo di Vučjak, a poca distanza dal confine tra Bosnia e Croazia, vivono oggi centinaia di profughi. Anzi, dobbiamo essere onesti e dire che "sopravvivono" centinaia di profughi, spesso in assenza di cibo, acqua, servizi igienici, tutele sanitarie e sicurezza. Siamo di fronte a condizioni terrificanti che si verificano in un'area del nostro continente.

E questa è anche una delle conseguenze delle scelte sciagurate di troppi Stati, e anche degli Stati europei e della comunità internazionale in materia di immigrazione perché preferiamo non condividere una strategia comune. Preferiamo coltivare il demone della paura verso il migrante.

Il risultato è sotto i nostri occhi e dobbiamo agire subito lì, mettendo fine all'emergenza umanitaria e riproponendo il tema strategico di una politica comune in materia di immigrazione.

 
  
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  Fabienne Keller (Renew). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Ministre, chère Tytti Tuppurainen, Monsieur le Commissaire Dimitris Avramopoulos, les conditions de vie des migrants en Bosnie – comme l’ont rappelé de nombreux collègues – sont extrêmement préoccupantes: des hommes, des femmes et des enfants vivent dans des camps sans eau courante ni électricité. À Bihać, comme cela a été dit, il s’agit d’une ancienne décharge. À cela s’ajoute la surpopulation. Cela n’est pas digne de nos valeurs.

Nous devons ainsi aboutir ensemble, et sans tarder, Madame la Ministre, Monsieur le Commissaire, à des avancées pour le paquet «asile», aujourd’hui bloqué. Il est en effet important, comme l’a dit Juan López Aguilar, notre président de la commission LIBE, de garantir que chaque pays respecte ses obligations en matière d’accueil des réfugiés, selon la Convention de Genève. Et il est, de la même manière, essentiel de fixer des règles claires pour accélérer le traitement des demandes d’asile et harmoniser les conditions d’accès dans l’Union.

Nous devons aussi assumer un devoir de responsabilité, avec une solidarité entre les pays de l’Union pour assurer, notamment, un soutien aux pays de première entrée comme aux pays tiers européens – comme la Bosnie – qui font face à la pression migratoire.

 
  
 

Catch-the-eye procedure

 
  
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  Franc Bogovič (PPE). – Gospod predsednik, Bosna in Hercegovina ima velike težave z velikim številom beguncev, ki jih ne obvlada. Bosna in Hercegovina je gospodarsko šibka in se ukvarja z velikimi notranjepolitičnimi spori.

Hrvaška ima najzahtevnejšo mejo v Evropski uniji, več kot tisoč kilometrov meje in jo tudi zelo težko varuje. Od Bihaća, Velike Kladuše je Slovenija oddaljena samo en dan hoje migrantov, zato je ta pritisk, ki se preko hrvaško-bosanske meje prenese na slovensko mejo zelo velik.

V letošnjih devetih mesecih je slovenska policija ujela 11.786 migrantov, 70 procentov več kot lani. Zadnje tri mesece več kot 2000 migrantov mesečno primejo slovenski policisti. Dva dni hoje so ti migranti že v Avstriji.

Zato je nujno, da takoj prekinemo tihotapske poti, ki so gonilo tega migrantskega toku, s Frontexom pa pomagamo Bosni tako pri vzpostavljanju situacije na področju ravnanja z migranti, kakor tudi na političnem področju, ki je v Bosni zelo problematično.

 
  
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  Tudor Ciuhodaru (S&D). – Domnule președinte, Bihac și Vucjak sunt două puncte de foc pe harta europeană în această iarnă, două bombe cu efect întârziat ce pot exploda oricând, mai ales când vorbim despre partea umanitară și cea medicală.

50 000 de refugiați, 8 000 de oameni rămași acolo, dintre care o treime copii, sunt o mare problemă pentru această țară, pentru autoritățile de la Sarajevo care au resurse limitate și sunt convins că în acest moment ar trebui să ne gândim la trei lucruri esențiale. În primul rând, monitorizarea transfrontalieră trebuie să fie îmbunătățită, în al doilea rând, fondurile alocate de către noi toți ar trebui să fie mult mai mari pentru a îmbunătăți condițiile de trai ale acestor oameni. Și dacă vorbim despre resursa umană, nu cred că este important să trimitem poliția, Frontex-ul, peste ei, ci acel corp medical european, onorat Consiliu, onorată Comisie, ar trebui să-și facă treaba. Eu sunt medic, medic de urgență în Iași, România, Spitalul Clinic de Urgență, și mă ofer voluntar să mergem acolo să-i ajutăm pe aceiași oameni.

Iar dacă vorbim despre dublul standard, în timp ce o țară care încalcă legislația este permisă spre aderarea la Schengen, România, țara mea, care îndeplinește toate condițiile, așteaptă la ușile Uniunii Europene. Așa că, onorată Comisie, onorat Consiliu, îndeplinim toate condițiile, vă solicit din nou să intrăm în Schengen.

 
  
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  Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Nie dalej jak kilka tygodni temu w Strasburgu dyskutowaliśmy na temat bardzo błędnej, moim zdaniem i zdaniem wielu, decyzji Francji, Holandii oddalającej szanse na wejście do Unii Europejskiej dwóch przedstawicieli państw Bałkanów Zachodnich: Albanii i Macedonii Północnej. To, o czym dyskutujemy w dniu dzisiejszym, jest najlepszym dowodem, że jeżeli Bałkany Zachodnie zostaną pozostawione samym sobie, to ten kryzys będzie narastał. Ja ze zdumieniem słucham tutaj głosów przedstawicieli lewej strony sali, którzy atakują Chorwację za to, że chroni granicę zewnętrzną Unii Europejskiej. Tej Unii Europejskiej, która wskutek nieodpowiedzialnej decyzji przedstawicieli rządów niektórych państw spowodowała kryzys migracji. Następnym punktem będzie dyskusja na temat hotspotów w Grecji na wyspie Lesbos. Przecież ten problem będzie trwał tak długo, jak długo będzie trwała ta naiwna w retoryce dyskusja zachęcająca de facto nielegalnych migrantów do tego, aby tutaj przyjeżdżali. A że sytuacja w Bośni i Hercegowinie jest tragiczna? Najlepszym dowodem, że wspomniany tutaj burmistrz Bihacia podjął decyzję, że samorząd w ogóle wycofuje się z jakiejkolwiek pomocy humanitarnej wobec tych nieszczęśników.

 
  
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  Julie Ward (S&D). – Mr President, I’ve heard directly from NGOs working on the ground with refugees and migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is no organisation, infrastructure or adequate support, and desperate people, including many children, are living in appalling conditions, sleeping on the ground in abandoned places or wherever they can find a place to lie down. Almost everyone has scabies and there are no available treatments. Several people have died of blood poisoning because various infections were not treated; many drown in the river trying to reach Croatia; others are beaten, tortured and robbed by Croatian police and sent back to Bosnia. They’ve been strangled, tortured with electricity, and burnt with hot metal rods by Croatian police also.

Right-wing politicians portray these desperate people as violent addicts, criminals, rapists and thieves, carriers of diseases – the language that is used when talking about refugees is hate speech.

Meanwhile, the work of many volunteers has been forbidden or criminalised. Bosnia and Herzegovina became an unlikely gatekeeper of the European Union and Croatia forgot its responsibility as a Member State to uphold human rights.

 
  
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  Tomislav Sokol (PPE). – Poštovani predsjedavajući, migrantska kriza trenutno je jedan od najvećih problema Europske unije. Takozvana balkanska ruta koja prelazi preko Bosne i Hercegovine i Hrvatske i koja ima najdulju vanjsku granicu Europske unije od svih država članica doista je nešto o čemu treba razgovarati. Na žalost ova rasprava nije bila pretjerano ozbiljna, s druge strane, s ljeve strane dvorane čuli smo mnogo dezinformacija, laži, fake newsa, optužbi bez ikakvog pokrića, a koje su utemeljene samo na kojekakvim neprovjerenim izvješćima raznoraznih udruga koje ne predstavljaju nikoga, koje nisu nadležna tijela i koje nemaju apsolutno nikakav legitimitet.

Nema nikakvih dokaza da Hrvatska krši europsko pravo i nema nikakvih dokaza da Hrvatska krši međunarodnopravne standarde. Dapače, Hrvatska je upravo ta koja ispunjava svoje obveze, što je dio procesa ulaska u Schengen, za koji je Hrvatska dobila zeleno svjetlo od Europske komisije za ispunjavanje tehničkih uvjeta i upravo Hrvatska štiti vanjsku granicu Europske unije od ilegalnih migracija. Humanitaran pristup da, zaštita ljudskih prava da, ali isto tako stop nelegalnim migracijama – štitimo europsku granicu, štitimo europsko pravo.

 
  
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  Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D). – Señor presidente, yo me quiero sumar a lo manifestado ya sobre esta cuestión por los compañeros de mi grupo político, pero también de otros grupos —GUE/NGL, Renew y Verts/ALE—, y me ha llamado la atención que el portavoz del Grupo popular —que ha hablado en primer lugar— hablara, en esta cuestión, de «protección» de las fronteras, porque creo que es un mal uso del lenguaje hablar de «proteger» una frontera cuando se está hablando de procesar las peticiones de asilo de personas que se encuentran en una situación humanitaria desesperada.

En este caso, se habla, en todo caso, de una «gestión» de la frontera, pero no de «protección» de la frontera, porque no se está invadiendo ningún país: las fronteras se protegen en caso de agresión militar. Y, por desgracia, este lenguaje, que predomina incluso en miembros del Grupo popular de esta Cámara, tiene también su origen en el lenguaje que emana a veces del Consejo y de la Comisión.

Señor comisario, cuando ustedes hablan de «presión migratoria excesiva», están utilizando un lenguaje militar; o cuando el Consejo habla de «reparto de la carga» —de «burden-sharing»—, está también hablando en términos negativos de seres humanos.

Por favor, cambien el lenguaje y acabaremos con los discursos del miedo y del odio.

 
  
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  President. – I have noticed a request for a blue card question, however, we are running long with this debate so I will decline that request. I’m sorry, that concludes the catch-the-eye procedure.

(Addressing to Cornelia Ernst (off micro))

No, that concludes the catch-the-eye. I declined the blue card request because the debate is running too long and you already spoke. You are not on the catch-the-eye list. I’m sorry. We are moving on.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

 
  
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  Dimitris Avramopoulos, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, let me start by expressing my thanks for your contribution to this very timely debate. As I said during my introductory remarks, I will raise the issue next Tuesday in the EU-Western Balkans Home Affairs Ministerial Forum that will take place in Skopje.

The Commission and the European Parliament share the same concerns about the migration situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular around the town of Bihać. We expect that Bosnia and Herzegovina will take urgent measures to avoid further deterioration of the migration and humanitarian situation. Thank you for joining our efforts in calling for the immediate closure of the unsuitable location in Vučjak and the provision of adequate accommodation across the country for refugees and migrants. This is required to prevent a major humanitarian crisis in the coming winter. We expect state-level entities, cantonal and local authorities to cooperate and coordinate their actions and to make the best use of the technical and financial assistance that the European Union has been providing. We expect law enforcement agencies at all levels to support the humanitarian response and to cease counterproductive actions that endanger the life and health of refugees and migrants.

There should be no physical violence against migrants and refugees. Border guards and police should carry out their duties in full respect of fundamental rights. We will continue to engage with Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to support the authorities to prevent, as I stressed before, a humanitarian crisis from unfolding in the country in the coming winter.

 
  
  

IN THE CHAIR: KATARINA BARLEY
Vice-President

 
  
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  Tytti Tuppurainen, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, let me thank you for the discussion we have had today. We are fully aware of the complex and difficult situation regarding migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we are committed to working hard with all the stakeholders involved to find a solution to the current crisis.

Throughout the whole process we must not forget the human aspect of the current situation. Just yesterday we discussed in this very Chamber the protection of children’s rights. It is important to find a solution quickly and to act with resolve in order to protect people. We are all aware that great challenges lie ahead of us, but we are counting on your support in finding a workable answer to the current problems.

The Finnish Presidency is fully committed, within the next MFF context, to allocate a sufficient amount of funds for migration management and to respond to both the internal and external aspects of migration.

Nevertheless, the financial aid from the EU is just a tool. It is crucial, indeed, that the national and local authorities do their part of work efficiently. Without any delay they should provide refugees and migrants with the help and assistance needed: proper accommodation is a minimum.

Without any doubt, it is of the utmost importance that every Member State, all of us, follows the rule of law, and full respect for fundamental rights at the border between two countries must be ensured.

Ms Strik asked us, the Finnish Presidency, what we are doing. We as the Presidency underline the importance of full compliance with international law – in practice and at our external borders.

The EU must continue to actively and closely monitor the situation on the ground, and take seriously all allegations of mistreatment of migrants. We must see this as a reminder that the ongoing work on the reform of the common European asylum systems needs to continue. Situations like this one should not be allowed to be repeated.

 
  
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  President. – The debate is closed.

Written declarations (Rule 171)

 
  
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  Balázs Hidvéghi (PPE), írásban. – Hibás az az érvelés, miszerint túl vagyunk a bevándorlási válságon. A legfrissebb jelentések szerint mind a Földközi-tengeren, mind a nyugat-balkáni útvonalon ismét fokozódik a migrációs nyomás, így továbbra is a válság folytatására kell számítanunk. A tengeren nemzetközileg szervezett, politikai eszközökkel támogatott embercsempészet zajlik, tisztázatlan hátterű civil szervezetek Európába taxiztatják a bevándorlókat. A Nyugat-Balkánon kritikus a helyzet, több tízezer illegális bevándorló várakozik, hogy minél előbb az Európai Unió területére lépjenek.

A Bosznia észak-nyugati részén fekvő Bihácsban is több ezer bevándorló táborozik, a város központját szinte teljesen a birtokukba vették, erőszakos cselekményeket követnek el, a helyzet tarthatatlan. Példamutató módon Magyarország bebizonyította, hogy kerítésépítéssel meg lehet védeni a határokat. Ha van politikai akarat, az illegális bevándorlást meg lehet állítani, akár fizikai határvédelmi rendszer felállításával is. A bevándorlási válság leküzdéséhez viszont meg kell változtatni Európa migrációs politikáját. Olyan uniós menekültügyi és határigazgatási koncepciót kell kidolgozni, amely a külső határok védelmének megszilárdítására és a harmadik országokkal való együttműködésre fekteti a hangsúlyt. A migráció ösztönzése helyett végre a migráció megállítására kell koncentrálni.

 
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