site.btaUNHCR Sofia Spokesperson Calls on EC to Mobilize its Asylum, Migration and Civil Protection Agencies

UNHCR Sofia Spokesperson Calls on EC to Mobilize its Asylum, Migration and  Civil Protection Agencies

Sofia, September 7 (BTA) - The European Commission should mobilize its asylum, migration and civil protection agencies, UNHCR Sofia Spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov said in a BTA interview.

Urgent and adequate reception capacity is needed in Greece, Italy and Hungary, the interviewee said. "Those countries, as the first countries of asylum, must be seriously assisted because their infrastructure comes under enormous pressure, to say nothing of the economic, political and social burden."

"At the end of 2014, nearly 60 million people worldwide were displaced by war and persecution, more than at any time before in known history. But nine out of ten of them are in a poor developing country. The EU has a population of 508 million and can deal with the present crisis."

In his words, until realistic opportunities are provided for the lawful arrival of refugees in the EU, there will be no results. "Erecting barriers and fences and deploying police at the border is no solution. What is needed is programmes for resettlement and humanitarian reception, humanitarian visas, relaxed visa requirements for students and workers, family reunions, and private sponsorship," the UNHCR media field officer said.

"Up to 3,000 people are transiting Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary daily, and they are unable to find adequate aid there. More than 2,600 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean. Refugees have also fallen victim to unscrupulous human traffickers, as in the case of the coffin truck in Austria. The European Union cannot continue to respond to the crisis as it has been doing so far, by modest improvements. Not a single country can cope on its own," Cheshirkov pointed out.

"The relatively recently established protection systems of Bulgaria and the Western Balkans have never been placed under the pressure which we witnessed here in 2013 and in the countries neighbouring on Bulgaria from the south and west now. The proportions in which the present crisis is unfolding are far larger than two years ago. At present, Bulgaria is registering a record number of protection seekers, more than 10,000 this year, but several thousand cross Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary every day."

Arrivals in the EU are mostly from Syria, but also from other refugee-generating countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Eritrea, Somalia. In Bulgaria, for instance, 54 per cent of the arrivals this year are Syrians, 21 per cent Iraqis, and 19 per cent Afghanis. Of the 2,700 persons currently accommodated at the six centres of the State Agency for Refugees, nearly 80 per cent are Syrians.

"The people who are recognized as refugees in a European country must have access to a large-scale programme for equitable relocation in all countries. Those who have been denied refugee status and have no grounds for staying in the EU must be returned home."

"Now is the time for Europe to recall and stand up for the principles behind which it rallies: humanity, supremacy of human rights, solidarity and empathy," Cheshirkov said in conclusion.