Mar. 19, 2021
Mayors of three Greek islands bearing the brunt of intensely overcrowded refugee and migrant camps, on Thursday called on the European Union to amend the proposal for the new migration pact.
“It unduly burdens frontline countries, damages their national interests and creates grey zones in the eastern borders of the EU,” the mayors of Mytilini Stratis Kitelis, Chios Stamatis Karmandzis and East Samos Giorgos Standzos said.
“It is widely acknowledged that no single EU country can effectively handle migration and asylum by itself, but this requires a joint and decisive policy, based on the principles of solidarity and the fair distribution of responsibilities among countries, with an emphasis on guarding Europe’s external borders and averting migration flows,” they added.
The current proposal, “undermines the current European institutional framework in terms of solidarity, protecting our borders and in the role of NGOs.”
The mayors called on the Greek government to vote it down, in favour of practical European solidarity.
The residents of their islands will “remain on alert until the full revocation of all regulations of the new proposal that harm our lives,” they warned.
Published at greekcitytimes.com
