The European Union and its member states must prevent the emergence of another migration and humanitarian crisis, which may also involve security risks, Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs of the European Commission, said when she arrived at the extraordinary interior ministerial meeting on the situation in Afghanistan in Brussels on Tuesday.
The commissioner explained: the member states must develop a comprehensive approach to the Afghan crisis, but "action must be taken as soon as possible, before crowds arrive at the EU's external borders and terrorist organizations become stronger." Johansson emphasized that, with the help of international organizations, resources and support must be mobilized to Afghanistan and neighboring countries to help the needy. "We are in a position to prevent a situation similar to the 2015 refugee crisis, but we must act immediately," he underlined.
Margarítisz Szkínász , the EU Commissioner responsible for the European way of life, spoke about the fact that the situation in Afghanistan was not caused by the EU, but it can have a significant impact on the Union as well. He also stressed that the EU should work together with international organizations to provide sufficient resources and capacity to the people of Afghanistan. In his opinion, local assistance can prevent the flood of illegal migrants and the strengthening of human trafficking networks. However, he stressed that the EU has a duty to accommodate those who helped the allied troops in Afghanistan.
People who became refugees due to the Taliban revolution in Afghanistan should be helped as close to their homes as possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday in Berlin.
In his press conference with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the Prime Minister emphasized that at Tuesday's meeting of EU interior ministers, Germany takes the position that "humanitarian care should be provided to as many people as possible close to their homeland".
Sebastian Kurz stated that his government's position is known and unchanged, i.e. Austria continues to refrain from accepting new Afghan refugees. He added that the Austrian government also considers it most important to provide refugees with support as close as possible to their homeland .
Sándor Pintér: The EU declaration expresses Hungarian ideas
After all this, it was reported in the Magyar Nemzet that Sándor Pintér, Minister of the Interior, declared after the extraordinary meeting of the EU Interior Ministers in Brussels on Tuesday:
The declaration of the interior ministers of the EU member states on the situation in Afghanistan, adopted on Tuesday, clearly articulates ideas that the Hungarian government has expressed for a long time, already in connection with the 2015 migration crisis.
The Minister of the Interior said: the resolution emphasizes that the Afghan people must be kept in the region and that they must be helped locally after the Taliban come to power, while at the same time the EU borders must be protected. He added that the Hungarian proposal was also supported by the interior ministers of the EU member states, according to which the declaration alone is not enough. A concrete program must be prepared from it as soon as possible, which must then be implemented.
- If we do not implement the declaration at the EU level, then these will remain just empty words and nothing will happen to protect the Afghan refugees and the Union - pointed out Sándor Pintér.
He also mentioned that Hungary does not shy away from supporting Afghans in danger in the region, especially with regard to the situation of women and children. Nevertheless , it is very important that those whom we accept can cross the borders of Europe, he added. As he said, Hungary is currently not accepting refugees from other countries, as it is necessary to examine which persons helped the work of the Hungarian contingent in Afghanistan, and a decision must be made about them in the light of this.
Source: MTI
Featured image: Wakil KOHSAR / AFP
Photo: Balázs Mohai
