EU leaders to declare: 'We cannot take more migrants'

[Luiz 4,253]

One of the messages the EU heads of state and government are expected to deliver at their extraordinary summit today (23 April) is that the Union cannot absorb any more mass arrivals of migrants, as they risk undermining it economically, and destroying it politically.

The meeting will take place today at 1600, following public outrage after 900 migrants died on Sunday, when their boat sank on its way to Europe from Libya.

Diplomats said that the summit will come up with four main messages. The first is that the EU is ready to save lives. Indeed, leaders are likely to agree on doubling the cash and equipment available to two Union border patrol missions in the Mediterranean, a senior diplomat said.

The second message is to traffickers, with EU leaders making it clear that “their business model would be destroyed”. It is expected that the the summit will authorise EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini to immediately begin preparations for a possible security and defence policy operation against human traffickers in Libya.

The third message will be for migrants, whom the EU will try to discourage from coming to Europe. “Europe has its limits, the individual member states, the individual societies have their limits,” a diplomat said, adding that further arrivals of migrants are unsustainable economically and risk destroying the EU.

The diplomat explained that discouraging migrants is “extremely sensitive” politically, that it is a “a challenge to present it”, and that its substance was that Europe is not ready receive any more mass influxes of refugees, because then everyone who wants to have a better life will come to Europe. “This would destroy Europe at the end,” he said.

He added that those who qualify should benefit from the EU’s asylum policy, should they not abuse the system, and that prospective “economic migrants” should be kept at a distance.

He said that these issues were discussed at yesterday’s EU-Africa summit, adding that if the Union is giving these countries huge amounts of development money, efforts are also expected from them to cooperate in this area.

The fourth message is an internal one: that more solidarity between member states was needed in terms of burden-sharing, though it is not actually expected.

Who is responsible?

EU leaders are also expected to address the overarching issue of responsibility for the deaths at sea.

“Europe is not responsible for the situation, it should be very clear. Whether we have capacities or whether we can create capacities to stop people from dying is our responsibility. But that they are dying in the sea is not our responsibility,” the diplomat said.

Responding to criticism that the EU has not supported the continuation of the Italian military search and rescue operation Mare Nostrum (see background), the diplomat said that this operation had only filled the pockets of traffickers, who charge $3000 per immigrant only to take them 12 nautical miles off the Libyan coast, where they are rescued by Italian ships.

Asked about the state of lawlessness in Libya, the diplomat acknowledged that there are demands for an Atalanta-type effort, but added that such action would require a UN Security Council resolution.

Atalanta is an EU military operation protecting Somalia-bound vessels from pirates.

But he acknowledged that Moscow would not support such a resolution under present circumstances, and that anyway, member states are divided over the idea, as well.

 

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/global-europe/eu-leaders-will-say-we-cannot-take-more-migrants-314027

[bumblebee 2,528]

What sort of immigrants are they talking about? Those arriving from the lands of Africa devastated by war, or all the immigrants that come to EU? 

And I can't understand one thing about Libya. Why did they launch a military operation against that country and kill their leader, if it later brought the country into such a sorrowful conditions?

[RAMROD 117,032]

Good.

As many illegal migrants in USA,

many of them doesn't have enough particular skills.

I get that they wish to improve their life quality.

But with no skills, they cannot be employed but in lower wage jobs like in the farms, etc and ended up as burdens for.the country they stayed in cos the government need to pay them up for living.

[RBNLM 1,647]

What sort of immigrants are they talking about? Those arriving from the lands of Africa devastated by war, or all the immigrants that come to EU? 

And I can't understand one thing about Libya. Why did they launch a military operation against that country and kill their leader, if it later brought the country into such a sorrowful conditions?

​italy is overloaded we cannot hold it anymore

[SychosSoChic 9,995]

So if I finished studying here and wanted to move there to study something else or just get a job there instead, am I not allowed to?

[Paco 3,040]

What sort of immigrants are they talking about? Those arriving from the lands of Africa devastated by war, or all the immigrants that come to EU? 

And I can't understand one thing about Libya. Why did they launch a military operation against that country and kill their leader, if it later brought the country into such a sorrowful conditions?

​

​The thing is that Libya was at the beginning of a civil war, the former leader Kadhafi was killing its own people that were rebelling againt him

France, (and UK) went to war to protect the libyan people, and later Kadhafi was found and dead by its own people.

France and UK helped to end the war, it's just that after the war ended, the libyan people failed at establishing a stable democratic government. And after that well it became a mess in Libya

 

 

[Cocaine Heart 4,768]

So if I finished studying here and wanted to move there to study something else or just get a job there instead, am I not allowed to?

​They probably won't even accept us now with the way these disgusting ****ers in this country are behaving. 

[SlaeUrAnus 16,111]

So if I finished studying here and wanted to move there to study something else or just get a job there instead, am I not allowed to?

Yes because it shows you are willing to work/contribute to the economy instead of migrating to a country for detrimental reasons such as sponging off ones system.

[Supersonic 49,376]

Germany: We all are capable of taking in more immigrants and it is our moral duty as well.

Rest of the EU: *snickering* we are just gonna say no to spite them, how dare the Germans tell us to show responsibility! *snickering ends* WE VIOLENTLY OBJECT, KEEP THOSE POOR PEOPLE AWAY FROM MY NEW MERCEDES!!!!!

[Paco 3,040]

So if I finished studying here and wanted to move there to study something else or just get a job there instead, am I not allowed to?

​yes, i think legal immigrants will be allowed of course  

the illegal immigrants from Africa dont have anything when they come in Europe, so europe would have to provide them food, a place to stay and so on til they find a job, and that would cost a lot of money, that's why UE can't take them [or doesnt want to ]

[SychosSoChic 9,995]

​They probably won't even accept us now with the way these disgusting ****ers in this country are behaving. 

​

Nay boo  

There's so much negativity in the World News section as is without us telling everyone about the xenophobia. Like it's absolutely revolting what's going on in Kwazulu-Natal right now, praying it doesn't spread to the Western Cape (if it hasn't already )

[Cocaine Heart 4,768]

​There's so much negativity in the World News section as is without us telling everyone about the xenophobia. Like it's absolutely revolting what's going on in Kwazulu-Natal right now, praying it doesn't spread to the Western Cape (if it hasn't already )

True   ​

I live here, half of my classes and town have emptied 

Lets hope. 

[SychosSoChic 9,995]

True   ​

I live here, half of my classes and town have emptied 

Lets hope. 

​

Wait sis you're in Natal?  If I had a couch I'd tell you to transfer to UCT and like let you live here till you could find your own place 

Please stay safe, like I really don't get what's going on over there right now...

[Evan Peters 10,776]

Good.

As many illegal migrants in USA,

many of them doesn't have enough particular skills.

I get that they wish to improve their life quality.

But with no skills, they cannot be employed but in lower wage jobs like in the farms, etc and ended up as burdens for.the country they stayed in cos the government need to pay them up for living.

​Illegal immigrants take the jobs nobody wants though

 

The US isn't small so i don't get why illegal immigrants pose such a problem still. I get that some are a part of the whole d--g system that runs along the border but most come here for a new start. 

If anything, we should start providing programs (if there isn't any already) to help them and start targeting the people who pay them lower than allowed just because they're here illegally. Stricker border control isn't going to stop them from coming over 

[hmm 979]

I would rather we were taking more immigrants; if a person is going to such extremes to escape such a horrible life - why are we further compounding them to this life based on absolutely nothing more than where a person has the fortune or misfortune to be born. A negative view on immigrants and patriotism in general confuse me because they both seem to have such close minded roots. 

The Dublin convention is slightly unfair to the med. countries but I don't see how once the number of migrants spread proportionally across each (or at least most) of the European union members could be too much of a cost to handle. (From what I can see ~600k immigrants expected this year into Italy which compared to ~505m population of EU is about 1 in every 830 people or so?) 

I do get the argument that moreso than before that would just further encourage a mass influx of migrants and what makes Europe so desirable to live in would probably be under a threat as a result. It's a difficult stance to make morally