Amsterdam, 08/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Saturday 6 February, the European foreign affairs ministers advocated European solidarity as regards the refugee crisis and Schengen area. Austria and Hungary, however, openly blamed Greece.
The session of the informal ministers' meeting that was dedicated to the migrant crisis lasted over three hours and served to highlight European solidarity, according to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. “The main messages that I received from all the ministers were 'support', 'coordination' and 'European approach', and possibly 'solidarity'”.
“We need common policies, and common instruments to address and manage a phenomenon that concerns us all”, she added. According to Mogherini, the ministers worked during the meeting on “common means, and not on multilateral ways” to manage the EU's external borders better - “that is, the border Greece has with Turkey and also with Bulgaria”, and to manage the flows of migrants better along the whole journey. From the moment she arrived, Mogherini had said it was important to have “united management of the migration and refugee flows” - management “that unites us more than it can divide”. In her view, closing the European borders “is not a solution”.
“There is a risk of widening the gap between the member states if we do not show solidarity and unity”, said Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders at the press conference. While saying he understood the urgency for some member states to take national or bilateral measures to overcome the migration issue, Koenders stated that the EU had to provide a European approach to managing these flows. He also called on the member states to give Greece the aid they had pledged. “This solidarity effort needs to be put at the centre of the debate, because unilateral efforts aren't very helpful”, Belgium's minister, Didier Reynders, told a few journalists, including from EUROPE. Each country must assume its responsibilities, must help the countries of the region, pay the funds pledged in London, participate in the military operations in the region, and also work on its own territory, Reynders added, highlighting the idea of “solidarity and responsibility”. “All those from whom solidarity is asked should realise that it is for their own interest, but all those who request and receive solidarity must assure their responsibility”, he added.
“A European solution is needed. If one country takes a special decision, it can have a domino effect”, said European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn upon arriving in Amsterdam. He added, once again, that the Balkans countries should not become car parks for refugees.
Vienna and Budapest openly criticise Athens. While all ministers seemed happy to promote solidarity, some member states were not embarrassed to blame Greece. “A solution for the external borders will definitely be needed”, said Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz after the meeting. “If we don't manage the border between Turkey and Greece, the only possibility will be to cooperate with Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia to protect the Schengen area as best we can”, he added. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is the only one of these countries to have a border with Greece.
Upon arriving at the Council meeting in Amsterdam, the Hungarian minister Peter Szijjarto also clearly challenged Athens. “It's clear that the southern border of the Schengen area is not protected. And if Greece is not ready or able to protect the Schengen area and to accept the EU's assistance, we must find another line of defence, which is of course Macedonia and Bulgaria”, he added. “There is a kind of frustration. Everyone speaks about the need to protect the external borders, but nothing is happening. We have to stop this”, he added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)