Brussels, 07/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 7 February, the European Commission rejected a request from Greece that it jointly fund the cost (estimated at €5.5 million) of sealing off its border with Turkey to clamp down on illegal immigration, and it warned Greece that it must not violate human rights.
The European Commission has received a request for co-financing metal fencing between the two countries and EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström had made it very clear, explained her spokesperson Michele Cercone, that the Commission had decided not to comply with the request from Greece because it believes that building a metal fence would be a short-term measure that would not provide any lasting solution to the problem of illegal immigration. Cercone added that the Commission does not believe that such fencing would solve the urgent problems facing Greece, which needs medium and long-term reforms to manage its border in a more up-to-date manner. The Commission is prepared to intensify cooperation with the Greek government to help it identify and finance alternative, more effective projects to deal with the problem of illegal immigration.
Cercone said that it was for the Greek government to decide whether it wanted to erect fencing, but any measures have to meet the country's international obligations, including respect for human rights and non-rejection of people entitled to international protection. The Commission spokesperson added that not one euro of EU funding would be granted and Greece would have to pay for any fencing itself out of its own money rather than using European finance. Greece will be receiving €90 million in EU funding in 2012 to help it cope with the influx of asylum-seekers and immigrants, but this cash cannot be used to build walls to close off the border with Turkey, added Cercone. Greece is planning to erect a barbed wire fence along 10.3 km of the border where the Evros river flows into Turkey from Greece. Several EU member states, including France, are demanding that Greece build such a barrier (despite reticence from the European Commission) in order to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the EU at this point and then moving on to other EU countries. (LC/transl.fl)