https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/13/eu-officials-finalise-common-asylum-system-resettle-refugees
The Guardian
EU officials finalise common asylum system to resettle refugees
Advocates say people can expect similar treatment wherever they settle, but critics say scheme is betrayal of refugee rights
Patrick Kingsley Migration correspondent
Wednesday 13 July 2016 16.02 BST
European officials have finalised plans to create a common EU asylum system and refugee resettlement scheme, which advocates portray as the solution to the European migration crisis but which critics believe will be a further betrayal of refugee rights.
Officials have proposed creating a semi-standardised system that would allow asylum seekers to expect similar treatment in whichever country they settle. The arrival of more than 1 million people in Europe in 2015 exposed differences between the continent’s different asylum procedures.
It is hoped that the proposed system would discourage the kind of country-hopping that saw hundreds of thousands of refugees settle in Germany last year having passed through other European countries such as Hungary and Greece.
The plans also include the establishment of a common European policy on refugee resettlement. The policy’s proposers say it could allow Europe to resettle thousands of refugees through legal means, and so discourage the unusually high levels of irregular migration seen in 2015.
Commenting on the resettlement scheme, the EU’s migration commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said: “Today’s proposal is a major step in our efforts to offer legal avenues to allow persons in need to enter the EU safely and receive protection. It is an integral part of the larger objective of ensuring that protection is offered to those who need it, reducing the incentives for irregular migration, and protecting migrants from exploitation by smuggling networks and dangerous journeys to reach Europe.”
But other European officials and rights campaigners criticised the proposals, which they said would in reality lead to fewer refugees being given sanctuary in Europe.
Under the plan, refugees will only be formally resettled in Europe from third countries that agree to readmit migrants who arrived in Europe by informal means.
Additionally, the plans make it easier for refugees to be expelled from Europe in the first place. Brussels would be given greater say over which countries are deemed safe for refugees – overriding the wishes of independent appeals boards in nation states. In the current context, this would theoretically allow the EU to expel more people from Greece to Turkey, despite Greek officials deeming Turkey unsafe for some refugees.
Expanding on these criticisms, John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe director, said: “The proposals the commission published today are not about improving refugee protection globally, but about reducing irregular arrivals to Europe. They take good tools, like resettlement, and put them to bad ends; they use fine words, but these mask some pretty cynical intentions.”
Dalhuisen added: “What the commission is really trying to do with these proposals is resettle some refugees so they can return more. In the absence of any mention of the need to significantly increase resettlement numbers and heavily invest in conditions for refugees in third countries, the net impact of these proposals for refugee protection globally is very likely to be negative.”
Malin Björk, the European parliament’s rapporteur on the proposal, called it “disgraceful”. The Swedish politician said: “As the parliament’s rapporteur, I will do what I can to stop this distortion of the international right to asylum and the notion of global responsibility and solidarity.”
The draft law is likely to be amended by EU home affairs ministers and the European parliament, who will determine the final legislation.
Politicians have dwindling confidence in the viability of common European asylum policies due to the failure of their previous incarnations.
Last September, European leaders promised to relieve Greece and Italy of 160,000 refugees stranded on their territory. On Wednesday the EU admitted that member states had accepted just 3,056 – nearly 10 months after promising to help out.
Only 8,268 refugees have been resettled directly from the Middle East, despite a promise almost a year ago to resettle 22,504.
https://www.facebook.com/Kara-Tepe-Refugee-Camp-Lesvos-Greece-656564614480242/
http://www.msf.ie/article/greece-testimonies-kara-tepe-refugee-camp
MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERS
The World is Our Emergency Room
Greece: Testimonies from the Kara Tepe refugee camp
21.07.2015Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers are currently stranded in precarious conditions across several Greek islands, despite repeated calls since December 2014 by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to Greek authorities and the EU to address the lack of reception capacity.
Jeilan and her daughter, from Syria
“I am here with my husband and my four-year-old daughter. We had to leave Aleppo because of the bombing. We ran for our lives. We did not bring anything with us, we left every-thing behind.
“We came from Turkey by sea, at night. It was very dangerous, the wind was strong and the sea was rough. My children would not stop crying. It was a small boat, about four metres long. There were 50 people inside, not protected.
Arriving in Greece by boat
“When we arrived at the beach, we found we had to walk 5.5 km with our children. There was no one to take us and the cars would not stop. First we went to the coastguard to get registered. We gave our names and they told us we would get our papers in a day or two, and then we could leave for Athens.“There are four other families with us – 10 or 11 people altogether. We have been here for five days, and are still waiting for our papers.
“When we went to the police station yesterday to collect the papers, they told us that they did not have our names. They had made a mistake. The police officer shouted at me, “Go, just go”. He gave no explanation, and did not say when we should come back.
“We are staying in a dirty tent. There are no mattresses to sleep on, just cardboard boxes. There are no blankets, nothing, just dirt.
“We don’t even want to go near the toilets. The water is not clean, we cannot wash.
One piece of bread
“The food is not good. For breakfast, we have one piece of bread shared between three people.“One woman arrived today with her two small babies. Their clothes are all wet, but they don’t have any more clothes. She has been asking where she can find some milk for her baby, but nobody gives her milk, so she will have to buy it from somewhere.
“We don’t see any help provided for us here in Greece. We don’t want to stay here.
“I can’t believe that I am living in such conditions with my family. I used to be a teacher and my husband was an accountant. Look at us now! This is inhumane.”
Sitting by the fire, Leila is preparing some tea for her husband and children. They arrived at Kara Tepe camp seven days ago and are living in a small tent that they bought in a local shop.
“Life is very difficult here for us. We don’t have enough food and we are almost out of money. There are no cooking facilities, so we cook food and make tea on an open fire.
There are many people from Afghanistan in this camp and all of us we just want to get our papers and leave the island.
This is not a place for humans to stay.
I want to thank the Greek coastguard for saving our lives. We came in a very small boat that was full of people. It was very windy, the sea was rough and the boat capsized. Thank God the coastguard came and saved us.I am thankful we are all alive.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/24/greek-islanders-to-be-nominated-nobel-peace-prize
The Guardian
Greek islanders to be nominated for Nobel peace prize
International group of academics to propose those on frontline of refugee crisis be commended for their ‘empathy and self-sacrifice’
Daniel Boffey Policy editor
Sunday 24 January 2016 09.00 GMT Last modified on Sunday 24 January 2016 16.13 GMT
Greek islanders who have been on the frontline of the refugee crisis are to be nominated for the Nobel peace prize with the support of their national government.Of the 900,000 refugees who entered Europe last year most were received –scared, soaked and travelling in rickety boats – by those who live on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
The islanders, including fishermen who gave up their work to rescue people from the sea, are in line to be honoured with one of the world’s most esteemed awards. Eminent academics from the universities of Oxford, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell and Copenhagen are drafting a submission in favour of awarding the prize to the people of Lesbos, Kos, Chíos, Samos, Rhodes and Leros.
The nomination deadline is 1 February, but those behind the plan have already met the Greek minister for migration, Yiannis Mouzalas, who they say has offered his government’s full support. A petition on the website of the grassroots campaign group, Avaaz, in favour of the nomination has amassed 280,000 signatures. According to the petition: “On remote Greek islands, grandmothers have sung terrified little babies to sleep, while teachers, pensioners and students have spent months offering food, shelter, clothing and comfort to refugees who have risked their lives to flee war and terror.”
While the official nomination letter is yet to be finalised, it is understood the academics, whose identities will be revealed in the coming days, will implore the Nobel committee members to accept their nomination.
They will say that it must be noted that a people of a country already dealing with its own economic crisis responded to the unfolding tragedy of the refugee crisis with “empathy and self-sacrifice”, opening their homes to the dispossessed, risking their lives to save others and taking care of the sick and injured.
In December, the image of Antonis Deligiorgis, a 34-year-old Greek army sergeant, rescuing an Eritrean refugee from the turbulent waters off Rhodes, was singled out as a striking illustration of the valour of those in the islands.
Only individuals or organisations are eligible to win the prize so it is likely that the “solidarity networks” on the islands – groups of volunteers who organised to help the refugees – or individuals within groups will be the official nominees. A precedent was set in 1976 when Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan won the prize for their efforts in seeking peace in Northern Ireland. It was seen as a reward for all those who sought reconciliation during the most troubled years.
The volunteer networks on the Greek islands have provided accommodation, hygiene packs, food, dry clothes and help with the next steps for refugees. However, it is claimed that the instincts of the majority of islanders set the tone across Europe towards the refugees’ plight.
Spyro Limneos, an activist in Greece for Avaaz who distributed aid on the islands, said: “The people involved in the solidarity networks organised and helped the desperate when the governments weren’t even willing to recognise that the there was a crisis.
“By opening their hearts the islanders sent a powerful message that humanity is above races, above nations.
“I will never forget seeing young girls being rescued from a boat on Leros. They were smiling. They didn’t have suitcases or any possessions except their end-of-year school certificates written in Arabic. They laid those down in the sun to dry out. It was a combination of tragedy and hope.”
One of the organisers of the Solidarity Networks, Matina Katsiveli, 61, a retired judge who lives on Leros, welcomed the move but said there was “reward enough in the smiles of the people we help”.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nobel-peace-greece-idUSKCN0VA2V5
Reuters
World | Mon Feb 1, 2016 10:54am EST Related: WORLD, GREECE
Greek grandmother, fisherman among Nobel Peace nominees
ATHENS | BY KAROLINA TAGARIS
"What did I do? I didn't do anything," asked Emilia Kamvisi, an 85-year-old grandmother from the Greek island of Lesbos, when she heard she'd been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Four months later, she is among three people nominated for the Nobel prize to symbolically represent the "behavior and attitude of Greece, organizations and volunteers towards the huge refugee crisis".
Fisherman Stratis Valiamos, who has rescued scores of refugees from drowning, and Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon, who spent Christmas helping refugees in Greece, were also nominated by Greek academics and the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
Thousands of people, including all lawmakers, can make nominations, which must be postmarked no later than Feb. 1. The $1.2 million award will be announced in October.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute does not publish names of nominees, but Nobel watchers have said former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden and peace negotiators in Colombia have also been nominated.
Last year, Greece was the main gateway into Europe for more than a million people fleeing war, persecution and poverty in countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
On the island of Lesbos, new menus and signs are in Arabic and cafes are full of refugees charging mobile phones. Bright orange life jackets cover parts of the shoreline.
Kamvisi, herself the daughter of refugees, said the scenes reminded her of life under Nazi occupation.
"We saw people crying in the boats, people leaving their homes, people sleeping in the streets," she told Reuters.
Greece, stretched to its limits after years of economic depression, has struggled to cope with the refugees. Locals and volunteers like Kamvisi and 40-year-old fisherman Stratis Valiamos fill the void.
"People say 'you're a hero,' but this isn't heroism, it's the normal thing to do" said Valiamos.
"When you're fishing and a boat is sinking next to you and they're screaming for help, you can't pretend to not hear them, he said.
In October, a shipwreck where more than 240 people were rescued took place among "a sea of dead bodies," he said. To make the journey, the refugees must be leaving even more horror behind, he said.
"No one wants to leave their home, to take a suitcase and five babies and walk for five months and get on a plastic boat," he said.
(Editing by Katharine Houreld)
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