Greece's government promised Tuesday to toughen the asylum application procedure for migrants, expand detention powers, and speed up deportations as authorities struggle to cope with a surge in new arrivals.
The 250-page draft legislation submitted to parliament also calls for tougher criteria in assessing asylum claims.
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Greece's government promised Tuesday to toughen the asylum application procedure for migrants, expand detention powers, and speed up deportations as authorities struggle to cope with a surge in new arrivals.
A surge in arrivals of migrants and refugees over the summer has put severe strain on Greek islands near the Turkish coast where more than 25,000 asylum seekers and migrants remain, mostly in overcrowded camps.
Greece's three-month-old conservative has vowed to expand a network of camps on the Greek mainland but argues that tougher policing is needed to make the new system to work.
On Tuesday, some 700 refugees and migrants arrived from the island of Samos at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, and were to be taken to mainland camps.
Refugees and migrants wait for buses after their arrival to the port of Elefsina, near Athens, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. About 700 refugees and migrants arrived from Samos island to the port of Elefsina as authorities have been moving hundreds of migrants deemed to be vulnerable from the overcrowded Samos camp to camps on the mainland. (AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)
"People should know that they cannot come to Greece, apply for asylum and stay in the country forever," government spokesman Stelios Petsas said.
Children play with thermal blankets as they and their families wait for buses after their arrival at the port of Elefsina, near Athens, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. About 700 refugees and migrants arrived from Samos island to the port of Elefsina as authorities have been moving hundreds of migrants deemed to be vulnerable from the overcrowded Samos camp to camps on the mainland. (AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)
A surge in arrivals of migrants and refugees over the summer has put severe strain on Greek islands near the Turkish coast where more than 25,000 asylum seekers and migrants remain, mostly in overcrowded camps.
Restrictions on movement on the islands were imposed under a 2016 agreement between the European Union and Turkey, under which Turkey would stop migrants from reaching Europe in return for financial assistance worth 6 billion euros ($6.67 billion) and would accept the return of migrants deported from Greece.
But returns have come to a standstill while the number of daily arrivals on Greek islands has risen to its highest level since the deal was reached three years ago.
Refugees and migrants wait for buses after their arrival to the port of Elefsina, near Athens, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. About 700 refugees and migrants arrived from Samos island to the port of Elefsina as authorities have been moving hundreds of migrants deemed to be vulnerable from the overcrowded Samos camp to camps on the mainland. (AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)
Greece's three-month-old conservative has vowed to expand a network of camps on the Greek mainland but argues that tougher policing is needed to make the new system to work.
Human rights groups say the proposed new rules are too restrictive.
"This draft law includes a series of crucial changes that will lead to potentially serious violations of the human rights of refugees and migrants. It will drive a multitude of people into a gray area without papers and proper documentation," said a joint statement from six human rights groups including the Greek offices of Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders.
A child from Syria looks out of the window of a bus after refugees and migrants arrived at the port of Elefsina, near Athens, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. About 700 refugees and migrants arrived from Samos island to the port of Elefsina as authorities have been moving hundreds of migrants deemed to be vulnerable from the overcrowded Samos camp to camps on the mainland. (AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)
On Tuesday, some 700 refugees and migrants arrived from the island of Samos at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, and were to be taken to mainland camps.
But authorities on Samos said that didn't ease the pressure enough. They said another 200 arrivals had been recorded Monday and organized a protest to demand more decisive government action.
Follow Giannakouris at https://twitter.com/PGiannakouris and Gatopoulos at https://twitter.com/dgatopoulos
Refugees and migrants disembark from a ferry at the port of Elefsina, near Athens, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. About 700 refugees and migrants arrived from Samos island to the port of Elefsina as authorities have been moving hundreds of migrants deemed to be vulnerable from the overcrowded Samos camp to camps on the Greek mainland. (AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)
Refugees and migrants wait for buses after their arrival to the port of Elefsina, near Athens, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. About 700 refugees and migrants arrived from Samos island to the port of Elefsina as authorities have been moving hundreds of migrants deemed to be vulnerable from the overcrowded Samos camp to camps on the mainland. (AP PhotoPetros Giannakouris)
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that Europe could die if it fails to build its own robust defense as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, or if it fails to undertake massive trade and economic reforms to compete with China and the U.S.
Macron urged Europeans to become more ambitious in a fast-changing world to face the challenges of war, fierce trade competition, energy scarcity, climate change and increasing authoritarianism.
In a nearly two-hour speech at the Paris’s Sorbonne University, Macron said the Continent is divided and “too slow and lacks ambition” at a time when the 27-member European Union needs to become a superpower, defend its own borders and speak with one voice if it wants to survive and thrive.
“Our Europe today is mortal,” Macron said. “It can die and that depends solely on our choices,” he added. He called on people to make those choices now because, “it’s today that Europe is between war and peace.”
Russia's aggression in Ukraine, now in its third year, is an existential threat and Europe is not armed enough to defend itself when “confronted by a power like Russia that has no inhibitions, no limits,” Macron said.
‘Our ability to ensure our security is at stake," Macron said. “Russia mustn’t be allowed to win.”
France has been an firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with other Western leaders as he has insisted that Europe must stand by the country at any cost. Last month, the French president alarmed European leaders by saying that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.
Referring to trade practices of China and the U.S., Macron said “the two world powers have decided not to respect the rules of global trade” by shoring up protections and subsides while Europe’s industry remains open and is stuck in overregulation.
“Let’s do the same, we are in competition,” Macron said.
Thursday's speech comes ahead of pivotal European Parliament elections.
Macron, a avid advocate of a united and assertive Europe, also rallied support for his centrist Renaissance party ahead of the June 6-9 vote as far-right parties lead the moderate coalitions in the polls. He called for safeguarding the democratic values as the “authoritarian model” that he said was become “more popular” across the Continent.
The French president lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, the National Assembly, after the 2022 election to the far-left coalition and the far-right National Rally party.
The social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers, police officers, and farmers in recent weeks. The protests follow huge demonstrations last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to rise the retirement age.
Surk reported from Nice, France. AP correspondent Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives to deliver a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 18, 2024. European Union leaders on Wednesday debated a new "European Competitiveness Deal" aimed at helping the 27-nation bloc close the gap with Chinese and American rivals amid fears the region's industries will otherwise be left behind for good. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
