The EU Commission's proposal for the migration pact won't prevent another Moria. On the contrary, it would cast the model of the Greek mass camps in legal form. Border procedures and closed camps at the external borders would become the norm in Europe. The failure of the Dublin system would be perpetuated and escalated, further without a mandatory solidarity-based reception of refugees. Also …
Deutschlandfunk Kultur: Interview on EU asylum reform
The European Commission has presented new proposals for reforming the asylum system. In an interview with DLF Kultur, I explained why the concept does not solve the problem. You can listen to the interview here.
Fire in Moria – call for emergency evacuation and relocation
169 MEPs signed the call for urgent action on Moria. This is the letter: To:Vice-President Margaritis SchinasCommissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva JohanssonFederal Minister for the Interior, Horst Seehofer Brussels, 11 September 2020 Dear Vice-President Schinas,Dear Commissioner Johansson,Dear Minister Seehofer, The fire in the EU's biggest refugee camp Moria is a humanitarian disaster and a disaster …
Tagesspiegel: "The fire in Moria is a catastrophe with an announcement".
Thousands of people in isolation, no fire protection concept and an increasingly tense situation: In the Tagesspiegel I talked about my impressions from Moria. You can read the interview here.
Dlf: "I wonder why people are degraded for years"
Deutschlandfunk interview on the fire in the Moria refugee camp in Greece: Politicians have not taken their responsibility there for years and must now finally provide humanitarian aid. You can listen to the interview here.
Ongoing human rights violations on the Balkan route
Even if it is less reported now, there are still people trying to flee to the EU via the Western Balkan route. Their situation is worsening, their fundamental rights are being trampled on. I have summarized here current developments in the region. Bosnia-Herzegovina Most refugees in Bosnia-Herzegovina don't want to stay in the country, but …
Floating illegal reception centres in Malta – My question to the Commission
Here you will find my question to the Commission on the floating illegal detention centres in Malta. You can also read it here on the homepage of the European Parliament in all 24 official languages of the European Union. The Commission states in its answer that it expects Malta and other Member States to abide by European fundamental rights and …
Worldwide, 79.5 million people are on the run. These are the causes
The UN refugee agency UNHCR published its annual report "Global Trend" on Thursday. It is the most important overview of flight and displacement worldwide. The latest report shows that 79.5 million people are currently on the run. That is 8.7 million more than in the previous year, more than twice as many as just eight …
Unmarried couples must be allowed to see each other even in times of pandemic!
Due to travel restrictions, many couples have been unable to meet since the pandemic began. What a torment at this difficult time. I have asked Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, along with many other Members from the European Parliament, to finally find a solution. There are already solutions in Denmark, and other EU countries could apply the same rules. Especially as the people affected incur costs …
ZDF interview: „Shameful situations for Europe“
The situation on the Mediterranean and at Europe's external borders is undignified and shameful. In the ZDF-Mittagsmagazin, I spoke about how Germany must use its EU Presidency to ensure that people there are finally treated with dignity and why a Federal Minister of the Interior must do more than appeal to others. You can read the interview here.