The interior ministers of the five Mediterranean countries on the frontline of Europe’s migration crisis, have called for more solidarity from the EU.
“We cannot have the five Mediterranean member states taking all of the pressure from the rest of the European Union,” Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi told Reuters.
“We need the solidarity to be mandatory.”
“We can no longer be punished for our geographical position,” said Malta’s Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri.
The 5 states want:
- Better cooperation with the so-called countries of origin in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia
- More EU members willing to take up refugees
- A centralised European repatriation mechanism, under the Commission.
On his part, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said Mediterranean countries were “forced, by geography, to carry a disproportionately large burden of the refugee crisis."
Παρακολούθησα χθες τις εργασίες της υπουργικής συνάντησης της ομάδας κρατών #Med5 που πραγματοποιείται στην Αθήνα με αντικείμενο το νέο Σύμφωνο για τη Μετανάστευση και το Άσυλο και την ανάγκη για έμπρακτη αλληλεγγύη για την κατανομή των επιπτώσεων της μεταναστευτικής κρίσης. pic.twitter.com/UbYfJKwMHh
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 21, 2021
*More on GCT: North Aegean island mayors call on the EU to amend proposal for the new migration pact
