Brussels, 13/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday 10 December that it was concerned that policies to stem illegal immigration into the EU were compromising the right to asylum of people in danger in their own countries. The European Union, in its efforts to tackle illegal immigration “should not forget that among those seeking to enter the EU are people who need international protection and are at risk of their lives,” UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic told a news conference in Geneva. The UN agency called on the European Union and FRONTEX, the EU agency which coordinates operational cooperation between member states in external border security, to show greater concern for asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution or violence and cannot return to their own countries. The UNHCR says that fall in the numbers of people arriving by sea is ample testament to how difficult it is to find asylum in Europe. “Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta have all seen drastic reductions in arrivals by sea over the past year or two, almost certainly a result of tighter border controls, joint patrols and push-backs at sea,” said Mahecic. The UNHCR estimates that some 8,800 people arrived by sea in the first 10 months of this year, compared to 32,000 in the same period in 2009 - a 72.5% decrease.
The UNHCR says that it is particularly worried about the situation in Greece where almost two thirds of migrants arrive by sea. “The stemming of sea arrivals is not solving the problem but shifting it elsewhere”, as witnessed by the corresponding sharp rise in overland arrivals in the Evros region between Turkey and Greece, where 38,992 arrivals have been recorded in the first 10 months of this year compared to 7,574 in the same period in 2009 - a 415% increase. The UN agency, which has made no secret about its concerns about the humanitarian situation for new arrivals in Greece, has once again urged the EU to help Greece bring its asylum system up to standard. (B.C./transl.rt)