Status: 11/26/2022 02:04 am
The special meeting of EU interior ministers on the refugee issue in Brussels ended without any concrete results. France had accused Italy of serious violations of international law.
Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan assured after the meeting that he felt no tension between the participants. However, the host could not answer the crucial question: whether Italy recognizes the demand from France and others to keep its ports open for sea rescue ships.
Did Italy recognize it? So my answer is: Italy didn’t reject it. But of course the discussion was more such that each of the individual states had the opportunity to comment on the situation. We will most likely not come to some concrete results until December 8th.
Then the next regular meeting of interior ministers will take place. There will also be Italy’s demand again that those states under whose flag private sea rescue ships operate should take in rescued migrants in their own countries.
Commission calls for cooperation
Of course we also have to talk about the role of private sea rescuers, said Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, who is responsible for migration, after yesterday’s special meeting:
The actions of NGOs are not a taboo subject that cannot be discussed. And the operations in the Mediterranean should not be conducted in some sort of Wild West manner. I think there needs to be a framework for cooperation between the states concerned and the NGOs. I can imagine that the EU Commission will help the member states to draw up a code to avoid such crises. But we need dialogue, we need rules and we need order.
Even if you want to demonstrate unity, the topic of sea rescue shows how different the interests of the member states are. While Germany supports the non-governmental organizations with budget funds, Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Greece want the EU Commission to take action against the civilian NGO ships.
Jean Asselborn believes that it is a debate that misses the mark. Luxembourg’s chief diplomat is also Minister for Immigration and Asylum.
I hope we don’t waste all our energies closing ports, but try to really know in our heads that people who are saved have at least a right to a procedure. Whether they then get international protection, yes or no. There’s no argument against that.”
Action plan of the EU Commission
Imposing new rules on private sea rescuers is part of an action plan presented by the EU Commission this week to reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to Europe via the central Mediterranean route.
In addition, cooperation with countries of origin and transit and the distribution system should be improved. However, we are further away than ever from this until the dispute between France and Italy is settled and the question of which port the ships with rescued migrants should head for is clarified.
Conclusion of special meeting of EU interior ministers
Matthias Reiche, ARD Brussels, 25.11.2022 10:00 p.m