Greece threatened with expulsion from Schengen over migration crisis

[MowCowWhoHow III]

Source: Reuters

European Union interior ministers on Monday urged Greece to do more to control the influx of migrants, some threatening to exclude it from the continent's prized passport-free travel zone as the crisis increasingly divides the bloc's members.

Greece was the main gateway to Europe for more than a million refugees and migrants who reached the EU last year. But it has been criticized for a failure to control the flow of arrivals, which have shown little sign of falling over the winter months.

The EU has taken various steps to give cash-strapped Athens financial assistance to deal with the crisis, but many member states believe Athens is not using that enough. Of five registration "hot spot" centers that were due to be set up for migrants arriving in Greece, only one is running so far.

Overwhelmed by the influx, Greek law enforcement officials have often let migrants through deeper into Europe rather than keep them on Greek soil for proper registration - the first necessary step agreed by the EU before people can move further.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-ministers-idUKKCN0V315L

[Proserpina]

1. A little more EU Greece-Bashing for the New Year

Same as the old year!

The EU will have to abandon its only reason for existing. What a pity! Dissolution should follow shortly after.

Since the EU is all about NOT SHARING when problems arise, or when good fortune befalls one member, it's no wonder that Greece cannot cope with a situation it did not create, has no control over, and gets no help from the rest of the EU for...

What did the EU think would happen, when they stripped Greece of its ability to do anything about anything? Greece is the dead carcass of a destroyed state, destroyed by the EU and its bankster puppetmasters.

And the rest of Europe will fall in turn...and Europe will become Mordor.

[KingCharlemagne]

3. I blame Merkel and the Germans. Payback, as was once

said, is a mother-fucker.

[Proserpina]

4. The puffed-up Belgians are not without responsibility, either

but the main blame falls on Germany.

I don't think any member state stood up in support of Greece, or even had sympathy. Whether it was fear, or sheer arrogance, remains to be seen.

[KingCharlemagne]

5. The French are not entirely without blame either. Their karmic

reward? Christine Le Pen and the Fascist Front National.

[Angel Martin]

13. Half the migrants enter the EU via Greece

which means the other half enter via other countries


what about them ?

http://www.cfr.org/migration/europes-migration-crisis/p32874

[bemildred]

2. They embarrass themselves. nt

[bemildred]

6. EU Ministers Openly Clash Over How to Contain Migrant Flow

AMSTERDAM — European Union nations openly quarreled Monday over how best to tackle the migrant crisis amid the stream of new arrivals and continuing disagreements over how to seal off borders.

Despite choppy seas and wintry conditions, more than 2,000 people are arriving daily, according to EU figures. With the vast majority pouring into Europe through Greece after making risky boat journeys from nearby Turkey, Athens is under pressure to do more to guard the country's borders.

"Their state structure is just too weak to do it themselves — apparently," Belgian Migration State Secretary Theo Francken said on the sidelines of a meeting of EU justice, interior and migration ministers.

Greek Immigration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas conceded his country was struggling to cope with the flow, but shifted the blame to fellow EU member states for failing to provide enough manpower and boats to patrol Aegean Sea islands just a few kilometers (miles) from Turkey's coast and not honoring pledges to relocate migrants.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/01/25/world/europe/ap-eu-europe-migrants.html?_r=0

[bemildred]

7. Arab monarchies turn down Syrian refugees over security threat

The oil-rich Arab Gulf states have high per capita incomes, need labor and share a common language and culture with Syrians, making them in the eyes of many an ideal location for refugees fleeing conflict in Syria.

Yet, while Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt have taken in around 5 million refugees, and boatloads of the destitute are making their way to Europe, the Gulf states have taken only a few hundred refugees, according to data from the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR).

In part, the low numbers are due to a technicality, as the Gulf states are non-signatories to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, the governing international convention defining refugees and their rights.

To be sure, there are hundreds of thousands of Syrians in the Gulf, just not as "refugees." The Saudis refer them as "Arab brothers and sisters in distress."

http://www.dw.com/en/arab-monarchies-turn-down-syrian-refugees-over-security-threat/a-19002873

[bemildred]

8. The Latest: Belgium mulls EU sanctions against Greece

2:30 p.m.

The Belgian government says that because Greece is too weak to guard its own borders, it should face an EU "sanction mechanism" under which the rising number of refugees entering the country would effectively be forced to stay there.

Belgian Migration State Secretary Theo Francken told the VRT network that "the Greeks now need to bear the consequences" if internal border controls within the Schengen area, which is supposed to be a passport free zone, are extended for two years, as is currently discussed.

Francken said the Greek "state structure is just too weak to do it themselves - apparently."

Francken raised the specter of setting up "closed facilities" for up to 300,000 people in Greece to be overseen by EU nations. More than 850,000 migrants arrived in Greece last year and almost all try to move on to the European heartland.

http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/The-Latest-German-vice-chancellor-rejects-6781712.php

[mwrguy]

9. "closed facilities" for up to 300,000 = internment camp

[bemildred]

10. They really let you know who they are, what they really care about, don't they?

But really, they are buffoons, this is a large flock of chickens landing on their roof, it took a long time to get here and they just kept going to their meetings and eating their steak.

Try this one:

Denmark's daylight robbery of refugees

The letter that landed on the desk of Integration Minister Inger Støjberg contained a ring. It was a family heirloom of author Christian Mørk, who wrote, "My great-grandfather came from Russia to Denmark in the 1860's. As far as I am aware, my great-grandmother was not asked to hand over her valuables when she reached the Danish border but thinking of those who will now suffer this humiliating experience, I am sending you my grandmother's ring."

Mørk posted the letter with a photograph of the ring on Facebook. Within minutes the debate was raging, once again showing the division over the government's proposal to let refugees and migrants cover some of the costs of their stay in Denmark.

"What a stupid letter. When people came here in the 1860s they were not handed a bag of money, free education, and health care. They had to find a job and support themselves. You cannot compare the two," wrote Kirsten Marie Waade.

http://www.dw.com/en/denmarks-daylight-robbery-of-refugees/a-19002215

[bemildred]

17. Denmark to vote on controversial bill to seize asylum seekers' valuables

Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN)Danish lawmakers are to vote Tuesday on controversial legislation that would empower authorities to seize cash and valuables from asylum seekers to help cover their expenses.

The so-called jewelry bill would allow the seizure of valuables worth more than 10,000 Danish kroner (about $1,453).

Items of "special sentimental value" such as "wedding rings, engagement rings, family portraits, decorations and medals" would be exempted, according to the Danish Ministry of Immigration, Integration and Housing. But "watches, mobile phones and computers" could be confiscated, it says.

The legislation has been criticized across the political spectrum, appalling many in this northern European nation, which has a longstanding global reputation for tolerance and promoting liberal, social democratic values.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/26/europe/denmark-vote-jewelry-bill-migrants/

[bemildred]

11. Merkel ally backs rising star's plans for tougher border controls

The leader of Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies has supported proposals put forward by a rising star in their conservative bloc to tighten controls on asylum seekers at Germany's borders, raising pressure on the chancellor to toughen her position.

Last year, Merkel's conservatives met fierce resistance from the Social Democrats over plans for transit zones at border crossings to process refugees' asylum requests, and had to deny such centres would resemble concentration camps.

On Monday, Horst Seehofer, head of Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), welcomed proposals from Julia Kloeckner for "border centres" on the Austrian frontier to speed up the repatriation of migrants who are deemed unqualified for asylum.

"We will exhaust all political and legal means from Bavaria," Seehofer, whose southern state is the point of entry into Germany for most refugees, told a news conference in Munich.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-europe-migrants-germany-idUKKCN0V31NN?rpc=401

[bemildred]

12. Banksy slaps France with mural for tear gassing migrants

LONDON -- The street artist Banksy has taken a swipe at French authorities for their handling of the migrant crisis in Calais, placing a drawing of the child featured on posters for the musical "Les Miserables" surrounded by tear gas.

The elusive street artist placed the mural near the French Embassy in London. His publicist, Jo Brooks, confirmed Monday that the work was genuine.

The work contains an interactive image that links to a video that shows police using tear gas in a Calais raid.

It's not the street artist's first criticism of France. Last month, he tried to underscore the potential of migrants by depicting the late Steve Jobs -- whose biological father was from Syria -- carrying a black garbage bag and an early model of the Macintosh computer.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/banksy-london-france-migrants-calais-refugee-crisis-jungle-les-miserable/

[MowCowWhoHow III]

14. UK should be punished if it leaves EU to deter other exits, say former ministers

UK should be punished if it leaves EU to deter other exits, say former ministers

Britain should be punished by its European partners if it votes to leave the EU in order to discourage other countries from leaving, former European ministers have said.

The UK was also warned many of the freedoms the UK would achieve as a result of being outside the EU would prove to be a mirage since free trade agreements, the movement of workers and the the conduct of UK financial services would still be subject to either direct or indirect EU influence.

The bleak warnings of an emasculated UK were made on Monday by former EU ministers including two former prime ministers at an event seeking to simulate the UK-EU negotiations over the terms of the UK’s continued membership. The all-day wargames session was organised by the Open Europe thinktank.

The Polish former deputy prime minister Leszek Balcerowicz said Britain would be used as example. “We should not encourage other populist forces campaigning on exit such as National Front in France or Podemos in Spain. This is a very important consideration. This is in the interests of Europe that we do not encourage other EU countries to leave. The common interest of remaining members is to deter other exits. This should have an impact on the terms Britain gets.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/25/uk-should-be-punished-if-it-leaves-european-union-to-deter-other-exits

[christx30]

16. That's pretty damn messed up.

The ship is sinking, and you want to punish the occupants of the first lifeboat. I'm not worried. Britain will do what's best for Britain, as I would expect any nation's leaders to do.

[MowCowWhoHow III]

15. Refugee crisis: Schengen scheme on the brink after Amsterdam talks

Refugee crisis: Schengen scheme on the brink after Amsterdam talks

EU governments have placed a large question mark over the future of Europe’s passport-free travel zone, signalling an extension of national border controls within the 26-country Schengen area in response to the immigration crisis.

As Europe scrambled to put together a coherent answer to the biggest challenge the union has faced, EU interior ministers meeting in Amsterdam on Monday compounded a sense of gloom and confusion in the face of ever rising numbers of people heading into Greece from Turkey.

Klaas Dijkhoff, the Dutch migration minister, said the governments were to ask the European commission for permission to extend and prolong the border controls from May because the numbers of refugees reaching Europe were not diminishing.

Under the rules governing the open travel area, governments could suspend the Schengen system for two years, dealing a potentially terminal blow to a scheme that has been in place for more than 20 years. “These measures are inevitable at this point in time,” said Dijkhoff of the likely suspension.

Following eight hours of talks in the Dutch capital, the Austrian interior minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, said: “Schengen is on the brink of collapse.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/25/refugee-crisis-schengen-area-scheme-brink-amsterdam-talks