ZAGREB, March 6, 2020 - Several Croatian civil society organisations gathered within the informal platform Forum 2020 called on the European Union on Friday to urgently adopt sustainable and solidary solutions to the humanitarian crisis at the land border between Turkey and Greece, on the Greek islands and at the external borders of the European Union.
The organisations held a press conference under the motto "For an open Europe" ahead of an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers in Zagreb. They condemned statements by senior EU officials aimed at undermining the rule of law, and were particularly concerned about the idea of sending troops to deal with civilians at the EU's external borders.
"Currently we are witnessing a political war between Turkey and the EU in which both sides use people for bullets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that Greece must be Europe's shield," said Tajana Tadić of the organisation Are You Syrious?
She said that support by EU politicians to countries such as Greece and Croatia, which are expected to do a dirty job by protecting the EU's borders, even at the cost of human lives, was "concerning and hypocritical".
Tadic said that a legal and constructive EU response to the crisis should include "a solidary sharing of responsibility for asylum seekers among all the member states, rather than abolishing human rights and continuing a political trade with despots such as Erdogan."
"Weapons are not and cannot be an answer to a cry for help," said Sara Kekuš of the Centre for Peace Studies, adding that "Europe must not send troops to deal with people fleeing war and conflict."
Kekuš said that during its presidency the Croatian government should put the reform of the common asylum system on the agenda of the Council of the EU.
She said that the reform should include providing appropriate protection and honouring the principle of non-refoulement, an in-depth review of the Dublin system with a permanent sharing of responsibilities, sanctioning countries that violate human rights and refuse to participate in the sharing of responsibilities, and providing funding for integration rather than continuing to invest in the militarisation of the borders and deportation of people.
More news about the migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.
