Party: | Europa Verde - Verdi |
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R06: FORTRESS EUROPE? NO, THANKS! BUILDING BRIDGES, BREAKING DOWN WALLS, EXPLORING BORDERS (Alexander Langer)
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In October 2021, 12 EU Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia,
Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia) asked
the European Commission to finance the construction of walls along their borders
using EU funds. In a letter to Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and
Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, these countries stated that
“[p]hysical barriers appear to be an effective border protection measure that
serves the interest of the whole EU, not just Member States of first arrival”.
Furthermore, they wrote that “[t]his legitimate measure should be additionally
and adequately funded from the EU budget as a matter of priority”.
Meanwhile, more and more EU countries have already announced, started or
completed plans to build walls and fences along their outer borders to keep out
migrants and asylum seekers. Lithuania, one of the letter signatories, had
already decided to build a 508-kilometre-long fence on the border with Belarus
to stop the arrival of migrants, mainly from Iraq. Latvia also announced that it
would build a 134-kilometre-long barbed-wire fence at the border with Belarus.
Poland has announced a 2.5-metre-high wall modelled on that built by Hungary on
its border with Serbia in 2015. Greece has built a 40-kilometre fence on its
border with Turkey to keep out potential Afghan refugees.
In this respect, Commissioner Johansson stated that: “Member States have the
right and responsibility to protect their borders. And they are in the best
position to decide how to do this, as long as they comply with Union rules. If a
Member State believes that a fence needs to be built, it can do and I have
nothing to object to.” Furthermore, she added: “Using Union funds to finance
fences instead of financing other very important activities is a different
matter, but here we talk about how to spend the limited resources. But Member
States have the possibility and the right to build these fences and they are at
the best position to decide whether this is necessary or not.” She reiterated:
“I agree that we need to strengthen the protection of our external borders. I
must say that some Member States have built protection structures and I can
understand it. If EU funds must be used to do this, I must say no.”
The Pact on Migration and Asylum, proposed by the European Commission in
September 2020 following a fire that destroyed the Moria refugee camp in Greece,
also goes in the direction of externalising borders, based on pillars such as
outsourcing and repatriating.
Incumbent Chancellor of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, who governs in
coalition with the Greens, shares with former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz the
policy of closing the borders to migration flows, especially from the Balkan
route, thereby showing their proximity to the sovereignist position taken by the
Visegrad Group countries. Indeed, Austria is one of the 12 Member States asking
the European Union to finance the construction of walls and structures to stop
the arrival of “illegal migrants”.
Four years ago, European leaders reproached former US President Donald Trump for
his plan to build a wall on the country’s southern border with Mexico. “We have
a history and a tradition that we celebrate when walls are brought down and
bridges are built,” admonished Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief
at that time.
The European Green Party:
- Calls on the Greens in each Member State, in particular those in the 12
countries which signed the letter in early October, to promote migration,
political asylum, reception and integration policies, as established in
the Statute, in the Charter of Values, and reaffirmed by past resolutions.
- AM-54-1 Esquerra Verda
- AM-52-1 Federation of Young European Greens
- AM-54-2 Federation of Young European Greens
- AM-54-3 Groen
- Calls on EU institutions to strongly condemn the construction of walls and
the inhuman treatment to which migrants are subjected at all external
borders of the Union.
- AM-56-1 Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
- AM-57-1 Federation of Young European Greens
- AM-57-2 Federation of Young European Greens
- Calls on EU institutions not to reinforce or finance policies for the
externalisation of borders, as this type of policy has already proved
ineffective since the end of the 1990s.
- Calls for a more inclusive and fairer approach to the reception of asylum
seekers and migrants among all Member States.
- Calls on the Member States to welcome people in need of international
protection and create additional humanitarian corridors to the EU.
- AM-63-1 Die Grünen
- AM-54-1 Esquerra Verda
- AM-63-2 Vihreät - De Gröna
- AM-62-1 Federation of Young European Greens
- AM-63-3 Federation of Young European Greens
- Calls on EU institutions to condemn those actions that limit the freedom
of movement for migrants within the Schengen area.
Europa Verde – Verdi co-spokespersons
Eleonora Evi Angelo Bonelli
Amendments
- AM-1-9 (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
- AM-18-1 (EGP Committee)
- AM-19-1 (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
- AM-35-1 (EGP Committee)
- AM-35-2 (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
- AM-43-1 (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
- AM-46-1 (Groen)
- AM-48-1 (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
- AM-52-1 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-54-1 (Esquerra Verda)
- AM-54-2 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-54-3 (Groen)
- AM-56-1 (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
- AM-57-1 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-57-2 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-59-1 (Esquerra Verda)
- AM-59-2 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-60-1 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-61-1 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-62-1 (Federation of Young European Greens)
- AM-63-1 (Die Grünen)
- AM-63-2 (Vihreät - De Gröna)
- AM-63-3 (Federation of Young European Greens)