Germany’s decision to effectively abolish the Schengen Agreement and to eventually sent migrants and refugees back to the first country of arrival brings tremors throughout the European Union and especially to Greece.
Mainstream media said in reports on Tuesday that “Greece will turn into a souls’ warehouse” and noted that Germany may return to Greece 70,000 to 100,000 people.
According to daily tanea.gr, Berlin wants to send back to Greece tens of thousands of immigrants from third countries, who crossed into Greece either from the Evros or from the islands and are now in Germany. The number of immigrants that Berlin wants to send back to our country may range from 70,000 to 100,000.
“In this way, Berlin is trying to deal with the rise of the Far Right in Germany, but shifting the problem to Greece. However, it is difficult to explain why repatriation does not take place in the country of origin of the immigrants, but in the country of entry,” the daily noted.
What is weird is that the daily does not make any reference to any sources to support its claim.
The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis must immediately convene an extraordinary summit and put the issue to the European Union in a blunt way, that it cannot “on the one hand Germany give them allowances” to use them “as cheap labor” and on the other hand to “use Greece as a giant warehouse of souls”, tanea.gr stressed.
Extending of Evros river fence for more safety
At the same time, daily kathimerini reported that the government is considering to extend the fence along the Evrosriver, the natural border between Greece and Turkey and to hire more border guards.
The Greek Police has reportedly already decided to proceed with the adjustment of the plan for the protection of the land borders of Greece – Turkey.
The Evros fence that started after the migration crisis in 2015, nears its completion, as there are only 4 km left for the fence to be completed. Greece, in fact, cannot rule out turning to the E.U. so that there is funding for the extension of the fence at the European level. A similar attempt had been made in the past without success.
The decision for increased measures at the land borders was taken due to the increased immigration pressure on the Evros borders, but also for Greece to send a message of readiness and vigilance, at a time when Germany decided to increase controls at its own external borders. In this context, the Minister of Citizen Protection was on Monday, September 16, in Kastanies of Evros, sending his own messages, the daily noted..
According to kathimerini information, police patrols in the riverside area of the Evros will increase by approximately 20%. At the same time, 150 border guards will be hired, 100 will be assigned to the prefecture of Rodopi and 50 to the prefecture of Kavala.
Commenting indirectly but clearly on Germany’s decision to unilaterally suspend the Schengen Treaty, Minister of Citizen protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis said that “in Kastanies, where there is a legal entry point and passport controls are carried out, as provided for by the Treaty and the Migration Pact, our mission is being carried out without exception and I believe that all Europeans recognize this great effort that we are making.”
Misinformation! Schengen treaty only applies to EU citizens. Germany is not suspending that, Greeks still have a right to travel and live in Germany!
Back in 2015 everyone in Greece knew migrants were traveling to Germany illegally! Nobody bothered to check their IDs! Greek government gave them free ferry tickets, to reach Germany faster!
Greeks get what they deserve!
1. Schengen Treaty applies to some more countries than the EU26. Swiss and Norway and may one or two others I am not currently awarenof.
2. Germany did not suspend the Schengen Treaty. The Treaty explicitly allows TEMPORARY introduction of border controls between Schengen countries. The current controls are set for 6 months.
3. Yes, it is quite obvious that this measure is primarily to placate those idiots who would and did elect the far right parties (AfD)
4. The rights for an EU citizen to move and live in another EU country has nothing to do with Schengen. It is an EU right. Schengen is not the same as EU. Different set of countries.
5. Greece might have pushed migrants on to other countries in the past. But lacking any substantial support from EU they did not have much choice.
6. The whole handling of migrants by the EU as a whole is an unmitigated disaster only helping far right populists.
7. Did I mention that tha migrant handling is a big clusterfuck?
Why is everyone ignoring the fact that the UN Global Compact on Migration states clearly that migrants who claim refugee status must be accepted in the FIRST SAFE COUNTRY they arrive at?
As it turns out, this happens to be Turkey for almost all of these people. While Turkey has broad aspirations to reconstitute the Ottoman Empire and threatens the Hellenic Republic constantly, internally as a country it is not in broad internal conflict and is compatible with the religious views of all of these migrants as they are Sunni muslims. Therefore, Turkey should accept them first.
As such, the business of whether Schengen applies is irrelevant, and the Hellenic Republic must not accept them in any case because it was not the first safe country the migrants entered into among UN GCM participants and is an innocent third party to this situation. Germany must be forced to recognize its obligations under the UN GCM immediately.
Utter garbage.
(1) The GCM does not state any such thing
(2) The GCM is not a law, it is a set of political objectives and does not have the force of law
(3) Everything else you have stated is wrong. The relevant legislation is the Dublin Convention, currently in force as Regulation (EU) No 604/2013. This states the country responsible for asylum applications within the EU
(4) The agreement that Germany has broken is the recent Pact on Migration, not yet in force.
(5) In any case, the relations between Turkey and the EU concerning irregular migration/asylum seeking is the EU-Turkey Statement of 2016. Since this, too, is not legally binding, it is really up to Turkey to decide what it wants to do. This is what happens when you don’t sign proper Treaties, because you (the EU, specifically) know that the content of the Treaty would be ruled unlawful by the European courts.
And where did you get this garbage that you posted? The Xryssi Avgi guide to international law?