'Europe will end' Belgium wades into EU's brutal immigration row with shock statement
BELGIUM has waded into the European Union immigration debate with a shocking prediction that a new refugee crisis could mean the “end” for the bloc.
The League leader Matteo Salvini greets supporters in Pisa
Theo Francken, the country’s controversial migration minister, insisted Brussels is not doing enough in its fight to any the illegal immigration crisis surrounding the bloc.
European summers, since 2015, have been dominated by a sharp rise in people travelling from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe in order to claim asylum to escape war-torn countries and persecution.
Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission has vowed to show “solidarity” with refugees arriving in Europe and urged countries to accept them with open arms.
The Commission President’s attitude, however, is not shared across many member states, including Italy which is seen as one of the frontlines in the migration crisis.
First we have to fix the front door, fix the back door
Ministers from the EU28 have been meeting in Luxembourg to discuss the Bulgarian EU presidency’s proposed reform to the Dublin Regulation.
At least a dozen countries are ready to reject reforms to the regulation, which decides what EU state is responsible for processing an asylum seeker, under the current process refugees must register in the country they first arrive.
The potential reform marks the end of Sofia’s six months of holding the rotating EU presidency, so remains high up on priorities.
Bulgaria is calling for alleviating the burden from the front-line” states like Italy and “curbing secondary movements” of asylum seekers who land in one EU country and travel to another.
Sofia is proposing the compulsory relocation of asylum seekers, but only as a last resort.
Belgian migration minister Mr Francken waded into the EU immigration debate with a shocking statement.
He told reporters in Luxembourg: “First we have to fix the front door, fix the back door, and then we can find a compromise on who is doing what.”
He added “Europe will end” unless Brussels can implement a “solution” in order to stop a “massive influx” of refugees.