immigration

Last March, after Turkey lifted the restrictions imposed on migrants wishing to head towards the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the time, “Our first priority is to ensure the preservation of order on Greece’s external borders, which are also European borders.” She also promised Greece, which she called the “European Shield,” financial aid amounting to 700 million euros. He considered the statements of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen a strong message to support Greece in its attempts to prevent migrants coming from Türkiye from entering its territory. She added, "Greece's borders with Türkiye are not only Greek, but rather European borders," and pledged to mobilize all necessary support for Greece in the face of the influx of migrants from Turkish territory. The Commission President will also deliver her first State of the European Union address on Wednesday, a few days after a fire broke out in an asylum seekers camp on the island of Lesbos. Thousands of these people fled the crowded Moria camp last week, when several fires broke out there. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed some of the camp residents, in an attempt to blackmail his government, as he put it, by deliberately starting the fires that destroyed the camp, saying that this may represent an opportunity to improve how the European Union deals with such a major challenge. Philippe Dubreucer, researcher in migration policy, Free University of Brussels: “The decision to resettle asylum seekers, which was presented as a solution in the last few years, will be maintained, but as one solution among others, Member States will have the opportunity to contribute in different ways by injecting funds, providing equipment or by deploying more diplomats in countries of transit or departure.” The Commission has proposed allocating €30 billion to migration policy within the framework of the 2021-2027 budget. But EU leaders reduced the amount to 22 billion euros. Part of the money is allocated to 10,000 border guard and coast guard personnel mobilized to fight human trafficking. The European Union's migration strategy is expected to strengthen the distinction between refugees and economic migrants. It can also develop legal paths for both cases. Nuno Melo, Member of the European Parliament: “If a Portuguese citizen wants to work in the United States, Mozambique or Angola, he cannot do so because there are regulated immigration rules in those countries. This must apply to the European Union. We must make a difference. A refugee is a person who is persecuted or who lives in extreme fear for his life or the life of his family. In this case, he must be welcomed in accordance with international law. But an economic migrant may be allowed to enter the Union or may be rejected, as the case may be.” For the non-governmental organization, the International Cooperation Agency for Illegal Migrants, which coordinates its operations and efforts with the European Commission, economic migrants represent an added value in the European labor market and play an essential role in many sectors of activity such as agriculture or construction. Michel Louvois, International Cooperation Commission for Illegal Migrants: “Migrant workers can also be essential workers, and they have been praised a lot