Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA, the Netherlands) and Cornelia Ernst (GUE/NGL, Germany) denounced, on behalf of their respective groups, the violence against refugees at the Croatian border on Wednesday 12 February. Both were speaking in a plenary debate on the humanitarian situation at the Union’s external borders.
The Dutch MEP deplored the fact that, “according to multiple testimonies, especially on the borders of Croatia”, the return of refugees is accompanied by violence.
“During our working visit last week, we were shocked by the fact that all actors involved acknowledge the existence of this violence, which the Croatian government denies. It is an inconsistency that shows that we will not succeed in putting an end to this violence if the EU continues to shirk its responsibilities and remain indifferent to it”, Ms Strik denounced.
The MEP, who had already taken a position on the subject at a hearing of the Committee on Civil Liberties (see EUROPE 12412/8), also criticised the absence of any monitoring body in the area where returns take place.
Ms Ernst, for her part, said she understood that Croatia, given the situation in Greek hotspots, did not wish to become a hotspot itself. “But this does not legitimise the fact that Croatian police are targeting refugees through various forms of violence”, she added.
The two MEPs stressed the need to ensure respect for human rights and stressed that immigration required a European solution, not a national policy that could be left to the sole responsibility of States.
“I urge the European Commission to thoroughly investigate the allegations and complaints”, Ms Strik also requested.
The Croatian question, absent from the interventions of the EU Council and the Commission
No other group reported this situation. Kati Piri (S&D, the Netherlands), whose group had called for Croatia to set up an independent mechanism to monitor border control activities (see EUROPE 12419/22), however, stressed that EU values, such as respect for human dignity and human rights, “also apply to refugees”.
The Council of the EU and the European Commission, invited to speak at the opening of the debate, did not raise the issue either. The EU Council representative, Nikolina Brnjac, who focused on the situation of the Greek islands, assured that the Croatian Presidency was closely following events on migration routes and intended to increase its “management capacity” throughout the Western Balkans “with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to ensure adequate protection of migrants”.
The European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, for her part, assured that refoulements were not acceptable and that Member States must ensure that they “have the necessary tools to react quickly in the event of refoulement”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki – intern)