Austria blocking EU-Libya sea patrols over migrants, EU diplomats say.
Yes, the V4 Report has been tough on Sebastian Kurz, but sometimes he gets it right (Turkey, UN Migration Pact). Hopefully, he stands his ground and is not fooled by EU top diplomat Josep Borrell (Spain) or Angela Merkel.
– The EU’s military mission Operation Sophia stopped deploying ships last March after Italy (Salvini), facing an anti-immigrant backlash, said it would no longer receive those rescued at sea.
The new regime in Italy is ready to restart the sea patrols, the country’s vice foreign minister told Reuters, but diplomats said Austria was still blocking the move, based on its position that people rescued on the high seas should not be taken to Europe.
Kurz has a good point, arguing that Operation Sophia promoted human trafficking. Others should support him on this issue.
Merkel and Kurz clash on renewing EU migrant ‘rescue missions’ in the Med.
What did Brussels leave out about these EU vessels? They have a past and it was Matteo Salvini that effectively kicked them out of Italy. Why? Since its inception, Operation Sophia had “rescued” some 50,000 migrants from the sea. Salvini had seen enough!
Many may not have realized just how deep Germany was involved with migrant transfers to Italy before Salvini put an end to this practice in his own unique way.
According to then German defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, German forces alone “rescued” 22,000 migrants in the Mediterranean since the mission began in 2015.
This was not a German NGO, but the government of Germany working with Frontex.
Kurz is right on this one…keep the EU vessels grounded.
1 Comment
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