In response to my question, the Commission has stated that it will support the Egyptian Coast Guard with €80 million over the next two years to tow back refugees. You can find my question and the answer here. The full article from Statewatch, based on the question, can be found here.
My question on EU funding for the Egyptian Coast Guard
The Commission has explained here how it intends to fund the Egyptian coast guard with €80 million over the next two years so that it can drag people back into the country, even though the human rights situation is catastrophic. The Commission euphemistically calls this „preventing irregular migration by sea“. You can find the question with answers in several languages here. My …
Question: Hydrogen – added value for African partner countries?
Together with the other Green MEPs from the Development Committee, I have submitted a question to the Commission on the promotion of hydrogen as part of the Global Gateway Strategy. We have our doubts whether this hydrogen is really green and also we have also doubts whether the use of energy to produce hydrogen for export …
Question: EU action plan in response to events in Afghanistan
Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Commission suspended most of its agreements with the country and largely ceased cooperation with Afghanistan. Since then, it has developed an action plan in response to events in Afghanistan, which has been leaked to the media. I asked the following questions about it: The entire …
Question: Report of the Greek Transparency Authority
I asked the EU Commission on 25.05.2022 what it thinks about the fact that the Greek authorities immediately take arriving protection seekers into deportation custody and lock them in a prison that they are not allowed to leave. The Commission replies that it is aware of this practice and that it can be legally justified if less restrictive measures do not work. These „less …
Former local employees want to go to Germany: „Bureaucratic jungle".
A year ago, the Taliban conquered Kabul. In an interview with RND, I call for the creation of an official contact point for persecutees to advise and process applications, the establishment of a reception program and reform of the local forces procedure, and for the international community to develop a common strategy for Afghanistan. You can read the interview here.
World Time: The Disaster of Afghan Local Forces
I had an in-depth conversation with Weltzeit from Deutschlandfunk Kultur on the anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. What happened back then was a disaster to be ashamed of. The German local forces system was deliberately not very functional. Things have changed here with the new German government. You can read the entire conversation …
Question: Protection for stateless refugees from Ukraine
Together with nine other MEPs from four political groups, I tabled a question on the application of the Temporary Protection Directive to stateless refugees from Ukraine. You can also find the question and the answer in several languages here. Our question of May 20, 2022 EU Member States are not obliged to grant …
RND: Italy may control sea rescue ships
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled: Italian authorities are in principle allowed to inspect sea rescue ships in Italian ports. I describe in an interview with RND that the right-wing populists in Italy will not miss the opportunity to make this an issue. I also accuse the Italian authorities of a perfidious tactic: "The authorities know that …
How much EU money has gone to Greece for migration?
Since 2015, the European Union has allocated a total of 3.38 billion euros to Greece for migration and border management. 2.53 billion has been drawn down by Greece so far. The support of the European Union to Greece is provided through three funds: the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the Internal Security Fund (ISF) and the Emergency …