The European Union for refugees: a lot of smoke in ten points

Emilio Drudi
About 670 euro. In so much spending every human life saved last year with the operation Mare Nostrum: 114 million (9.5 per month for twelve months) in front of nearly 170,000 men and women helped to reach Italy and l ' Europe. But it was said that this expense was not bearable for the Italian and European finances. One would think that a man, for certain policy, is worth less than € 600. Certainly Mare Nostrum has been suppressed for fielding Triton, a program that provides no rescue at sea but only the control and defense of the borders and only incidentally, if it happens, in short, the rescue procedures.

Now, in the wake of the emotion aroused by yet another massacre, with about 800 victims, the most serious of all time in the Mediterranean, the European Union has implemented a strategy based on ten points. We spoke with Don Mussie Zerai, the president of the agency Habeshia, candidate for the Nobel Prize for Peace, which for years denies' inaction and hypocrisy "of the chanceries of the North. And that spares no criticism: "Our heart - blurts out immediately - is full of pain for the massacre of refugees and the silence of the powerful of the earth. For 15 years, we are witnessing the death of thousands of migrants, but Europe can not help but pull off words for the occasion. Hypocrisy on hypocrisy. A Europe that spends millions on weapons but says he has no money to save lives. Multiply the instruments of death and did not want to look at the chaos caused in Africa and the Middle East. In a number of countries have become thriving market where to sell weapons and rob natural resources or which bring in cheap labor to be exploited ... Now come these 'ten points'. It does not seem to change much compared to the past. "
Here, we examine these points one by one.
- Strengthening of joint operations in the Mediterranean (Triton and Poseidon), increasing financial resources, increasing the allocation of personnel and equipment, and possibly extending the operational area, in order to take action on a larger radius, but always within the mandate Frontex.
Don Zerai: "It 'not clear what is meant when" within the mandate of Frontex ". The point is to radically change the rules of engagement. Frontex has the duty to monitor the borders and not to save lives. Intervenes in rescue operations only when it receives specific requests but is required to do so: otherwise would violate international law and the code of the sea. Another thing was the mandate of Mare Nostrum, who came to patrol the Mediterranean to the edge of the Libyan territorial waters. It 'a response that continues the line of indifference followed so far: the little desire to engage in a mission to protect the lives of people in danger. "
- The capture and destruction of boats used by traffickers: in essence, the revival in the Mediterranean Operation Atalanta against piracy.
"This project requires the cooperation of the Libyan government. But what government? With that settled in Tripoli or to Tobruk, recognized by the international community but has no control over the country and it is indeed almost under siege by the various militias that vie for power, including Isis? In short, it is a proposal that is still poorly defined unrealistic ".
- The agencies Europol, Frontex, Easo, Eurojust will meet regularly and work closely to will collect information on the modus operandi of traffickers, to trace the sources of funding of criminal organizations, to coordinate and cooperate in the investigation.
"It 's something so obvious that it should not even announced. It should, indeed, should have worked well for some time. However, we hope that really is so: it is since 2009 that ask you to follow the flow of money to track down the traffickers, as did the Italian judiciary to climb to the top of the Mafia. We'll see if the words will follow eventually the facts. "
- Will be sent technical teams in Italy and in Greece in the joint asylum applications.
"It was time. But this presupposes the overcoming of the Dublin Regulation 3, which binds migrants to the first country to which they turn for help. Otherwise, what good is a measure of this kind? ".
- Member States of the European Union will ensure the identification and fingerprinting of all migrants.

"Okay identification. But the point remains Regulations Dublin 1, 2 and 3, a real cage for refugees who do not wish to remain in the first country in which they arrived, by sea or by land, but settle elsewhere, where they maybe relatives or friends ready to help them, or where, quite simply, they see the prospect of a better future, compared to the conditions of degradation, discrimination, exploitation, almost total lack of inclusion that await them in Italy or Greece. "
- Will evaluate the options for a mechanism for the transfer of emergency.
"We continue to talk of emergency, ignoring or pretending to ignore that we are facing a huge structural problem that requires action 'structural', not 'emergency'. The chaos, the massacres, the suffering of thousands of people come from this very wrong approach or 'deliberately wrong'. And since we know now that this disaster is likely to increase over the next 15 years if you do not implement a policy of peace in the Horn of Africa, in Sub-Saharan Africa and in East Medo. If, in practice, there will be no investment in the development and a turning courageous in European politics. All the rest are just empty words. "
- A large European pilot project for the resettlement of refugees on a voluntary basis, to provide places for people in need of protection.
"It seems only a statement of intent: you do not specify, for example, or how, or where. And then, if it is only on a voluntary basis, we already know, from experience, how things go ... So, once again, a lot of smoke ... ".
- A new program of rapid return of irregular migrants, by the Member "front line", coordinated by Frontex.
"It should be strongly reaffirmed the no rejections without first verifying the right of each individual migrant to seek asylum or another form of international protection. It must be ascertained in advance that people sent back to their country of origin do not run any danger to their lives and their freedom. Not to mention a totally overlooked: if the return will not be accompanied by social and work projects in the states of origin, certainly these people will try again to get to Europe. And the problem will resurface again. "
- Commitment of collaboration with countries bordering Libya, through a joint effort between the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS). Need to be reinforced similar initiatives in Niger.
"It has all the air, once again, of a policy Pilate, which aims to award to 'third' management of refugees, but that will not last long. In addition to embarrass the country to which you want to assign the 'dirty work', unnecessarily increase the suffering of refugees. And traffickers will open other routes to bring to Europe the desperate fleeing their country. There is no wall that takes: sooner or later, even in the wake of widespread corruption, the jerseys will widen. And 'eloquent what happened in the days of Gaddafi in Libya. "
- Sending liaison officers, to the problems of immigration, in third countries, to gather information on migration flows and strengthen the role of the EU delegations.
"Still a proposal in key defensive of Fortress Europe. No one who thinks of the rights and protection of refugees: the mortal dangers that these people run the day-to-day does not seem to interest anyone. In all these ten points, in short, the prevailing desire of Europe to 'defend' by those who knock on its door to ask for help and protection. Was not spending a single word on how to alleviate the suffering of millions of women and men persecuted by war, terrorism, dictatorships, discrimination, political, religious, racial, hunger, famine, endemic poverty. It 'a choice that fills the heart with pain and disappointment: the civilized Europe is doing itself down the myth of being the home of human rights, worthy of the Nobel Prize for Peace. "
Emerges from the judgments of these ten points, that Italy and the European Union, in practice, have proposed interventions that give answers to "our fears" rather than to the rights, needs, the very life of thousands of refugees.

"That 's right. I want to mention, in this regard, the last, terrible call for help that came Habeshia agency. Concerns about 400 Eritreans and Ethiopians detained in a former school near Misrata. Wednesday one of them phoned, telling that were captured by militiamen loyal to the government in Tripoli. To catch them have hired a firefight that another group that kept them prisoners. Three Eritreans died in the shooting. Five others injured and now no one knows what happened to them. Tuesday, about 50 women were taken by armed men and taken away: you do not know where, nor why they were separated from other prisoners. Not only occasionally comes to the prison a Libyan woman, picks up a number of refugees and leads them in a kind of place of purchase, claiming 2,000 to $ 2,500 per person for the issue. Everything leads one to believe that this woman is in connection with intermediaries Eritreans, Ethiopians, Sudanese and Somalis who organize the crossing to Italy in collaboration with the Libyans. And life in prison is tough: the migrants are forced to observe Islamic prayer times and who does not pray is beaten by militia guard. Here's what happens in those in Italy were defined hypocritically shelters. But in the 'ten points' there is virtually nothing to deal with such situations. And what is happening in Libya today could happen tomorrow in Niger, Chad, Tunisia, Algeria ... The truth is that there is no guarantee in fields like these, regardless of the 'initials' under which they are open. Why are the same police and security, often, to exploit and persecute the prisoners. In that prison Misrata occasionally arrive operators IOM. But it is not an inspection. They just bring some blankets or soap. Doing nothing for protection and the release of hundreds of people detained in degrading conditions for human dignity. "