BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2020) Now that the worst of the coronavirus crisis seems to be over in Europe, the European Union's old controversy around the migration crisis is back in the spotlight as migrant arrivals in Greece and Italy pick up pace again.
The political situation has changed, however. In Greece, where a center-right government of conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has replaced left-wing Alexis Tsipras, migrants are less than welcome, especially amid growing tensions with Turkey over the latter's drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In Italy, the abatement of migrant entry restrictions after the departure of the far-right Lega party of Matteo Salvini from the ruling coalition has prompted an acute increase in the number of sea arrivals.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA ROUTE UNSTABLE
The overwhelming majority of migrants from the middle East and North Africa arrive in Europe by sea via the Mediterranean.
The sea crossings to Greece are predominantly from Turkey, but since the Greek border is now closed, tens of thousands of migrants are stranded on the Turkish side of the land border between the two countries. Before borders closed for COVID-19, Turkey has repeatedly threatened to "open the gate" and let migrants cross into the European Union unimpeded if Brussels fails to step up the financial compensation to Turkey for turning migrants back from the EU border.
The tensions only exacerbated when Turkey intensified drilling activities in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean which Greece and Cyprus consider their exclusive economic zones. As Ankara ignored the calls to vacant the disputed waters, Greece mobilized its armed forces and warned it would stand up for its sovereign rights by all available means, including military.
On the backdrop of mutual threats and warnings to use force, France has increased its military presence in the area. Turkish vessels have already been involved in a very dangerous incident with the French frigate Courbet and several minor incidents with Greek border guard ships.
Amid the Eastern Mediterranean drilling controversy and the Greek government's negative stance on illegal migration, Greek border guards frequented repelling migrant boats back to the Turkish territorial waters, not letting them reach the Greek shores. According to NGOs, more than 1,000 sea migrants were turned back in such a manner.
While the pushback of refugees into the sea is illegal under international law, Greece has denied committing anything illegal.
GREECE'S ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY EXHAUSTED
Greece is under pressure. The government is building four new camps to relocate the migrants from the overcrowded facilities in the Greek islands. The need to provide the migrants with at least some space for social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic exacerbates the accommodation shortage crisis even further. On the Lesbos island, for example, the influx of migrants by sea was so strong that tourists fled the island en masse.
Many in Europe fear that if the pressure to adequately accommodate arrivals becomes unbearable for Greece, it might clog up the Mediterranean Route and re-activates the Balkan Route of migration.
German Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer has forbidden the country's red-green ruling coalition government in the Berlin region to take in migrants from the Greek refugee camps without authorization.
"Seehofer's veto is, of course, absolutely correct. The left government in Berlin cannot bring in migrants to Germany on its own. Berlin cannot guarantee that the resulting burden will only affect Berlin," Alexander Gauland, the co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary faction, told Sputnik.
At the same time, the German lawmaker pointed to "fundamental inconsistencies" in Seehofer's stance with regard to the federal and local approach to the migration crisis.
"Forbidding Berlin to bring the immigrants to Germany but doing it under the auspices of the federal government does not solve the problem of mass immigration. Germany must completely put an end to the pull effect. Asylum applications must be examined and decided before the applicants arrive in Germany," Gauland said.
According to the AfD lawmaker, Germany should try to cope with the migration crisis by investing resources into making the situation better in the migrants' countries of origin rather than "spending billions annually on lodging and catering for illegal immigrants in Germany."
ITALY URGES EU TO SHARE ARRIVALS FAIRLY
Italy is the key destination point for the irregular sea migrants from North Africa, predominantly Tunisia and Libya. According to the Italian Interior Ministry, sea arrivals in Italy have increased by 150 percent during the past 12 months notwithstanding the pandemic.
Like Greece, Italy has been overwhelmed by this influx of migrants and the need to ensure enough space for proper social distancing for them.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has repeatedly urged the European Union to distribute the new arrivals among all member states as a matter of urgency given the coronavirus-related high health risks in Italy and the country's struggle to cope with the continent's worst outbreak.
"Everybody knows that these people are economic migrants and have no right to stay in the EU. It is especially clear now that they are Tunisians. The only way is to close Italian and European harbours, to avoid more drownings in the Mediterranean and enriching the human traffickers from Libya and other places," Pietro Fiocchi, a member of the European Parliament for the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, told Sputnik.
Di Maio also suggested that Brussels talk the issue with the Tunisian government, like Italy itself did. The EU has, for example, an agreement with Libya � the 2017 Malta Declaration � to fund, train and equip the Libyan coast guard so that they intercept migrant boats en route to the EU via the Mediterranean and turn them back.
When Italy's migration policies were controlled by former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, private boats carrying illegal migrants, including rescue boats operated by international NGOs, were barred from docking in Italian ports and letting migrants disembark in the Italian territory.
Last year, one such case involving the NGO-run rescue ship Open Arms cost Salvini a probe into alleged abuse of power and "abduction." The boat carrying more than a hundred migrants from Africa was stranded for nearly three weeks in the Mediterranean before it was allowed to dock at the Italian island of Lampedusa by local authorities.
Fiocchi believes Salvini will be "vindicated" during the upcoming trial and that the trial itself will re-unite Italians behind the "populists" again.
