The “28” faced with the migrant puzzle
After the tragedy in Lampedusa, Europeans are reluctant to change their immigration policy.
(BRUSSELS) The 28 Heads of State and Government meeting in Brussels will find one more file on their table today: immigration. This subject was not originally intended to be on the agenda of a meeting more dedicated to the digital economy and employment initiatives. But the tragedy of Lampedusa as the fed up of the countries of the “South” has raised the file a further notch. "We can't go on like this. said a few days ago Enrico Letta, the president of the Italian council, calling on his European counterparts to raise awareness. " We have the feeling that we are abandoned in this operation. Europe cannot close its eyes » added the Maltese Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat « The way things are going, we are building a cemetery in our Mediterranean Sea ».
A call that Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, was careful to relay. Its official letter of invitation sent to the 28 Heads of State and Government, which Ouest-France was able to consult, thus only provides for a simple " exchange of views " on the " recent tragic events at sea ". And the only substantial proposal, mentioned behind the scenes, is the creation of a " task force tasked with preparing a report for... the next summit in December! A caution, which can be explained, according to a European diplomat. The subject is sensitive to the approach of electoral deadlines, marked by a general push in Europe, of Eurosceptic or far-right parties. And the Nordic and central European countries, such as Sweden and Germany, believe they are already doing enough, and do not want to pay one euro more. The budget of the Frontex agency, responsible for coordinating border control, remains dramatically low: barely 60 million euros per year.
Only the European Parliament is staying the course. In a resolution passed yesterday, he calls on Europeans to a little more solidarity and responsibility ", to acquire " of a coordinated strategy on immigration. In particular, he proposes to have a distribution of asylum seekers " Between the countries. " We must distinguish between asylum-seeking refugees who are people in distress requiring our help on the one hand, and economic migrants and illegal immigrants on the other.. “Explains Véronique Mathieu, UMP MEP. " We also need to have a body of European coastguards ". A generous idea, often mentioned, never realized.
Nicolas GROS-VERHEYDE for West France