EU countries to discuss new sanctions against Lukashenka at the summit | News from Germany about Europe

At a summit in Brussels on October 22, the European Union will consider the possibility of introducing new sanctions against Belarus in order to prevent illegal migration to Europe through the territory of this country. “The topic of migration has become even more relevant for Poland, Lithuania and Germany because of the hybrid actions undertaken by President Lukashenko. We will talk about what other types of sanctions, economic sanctions, we can take to clearly show that we condemn this type of trade. people, “- said German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Angela Merkel) reporters on Thursday, October 21.

For his part, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins warned that if the European Union does not defend its external borders, the Schengen zone will be under threat. “In Latvia, in the Baltic countries, we now see a hybrid attack from Belarus. It is merciless and continuous. Belarus delivers people from third countries to its territory, and these people are encouraged and pushed across the border to Europe. This is unacceptable behavior. As democracy we owe protect our borders, “Karins emphasized.

Since August, more than 4.3 thousand migrants have already illegally arrived in Germany through Belarus, mainly from Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Iran. Meanwhile, for the entire period from January to July 2021, only 26 people entered Germany via the “Belarusian route”. In August, the number of illegal immigrants jumped to 474, and in September – to 1,914. German Foreign Minister Horst Seehofer expressed the opinion that Russia has the key to solving the problem of migration along the “Belarusian route”.

EU Summit in Brussels

The two-day EU summit opened on Thursday 21 October in Brussels. On the first day, its participants, among other things, discuss the problem of a sharp rise in prices for energy resources, in particular for gas. On Friday, the focus of the heads of state and government of the EU countries will be on migration policy and digital technologies.

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Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
“Balkan route”
Until now, the main route of refugees to Western Europe passed through the Balkan countries – Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. This path was finally blocked at the end of February, when the Macedonian border guards stopped letting refugees in Greece through. At the moment, several thousand migrants have accumulated on the Greek-Macedonian border.

Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
Treaty with Turkey: efficiency in question
The EU’s agreement with Ankara provides for the return to Turkey of refugees who illegally travel to Greece. However, this will not stop the flow of migrants, experts say. Alternative routes are becoming more and more popular – for example, through Italy and Albania.

Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
Route through Italy
One of the alternative routes starts in the port of Antalya in southern Turkey, in Mersin near the border with Syria, or in Athens in central Greece. The migrants then cross the Mediterranean Sea on fishing and small merchant ships and arrive in Italy. According to media reports, the cost of the ferry ranges from 3 to 5 thousand euros.

Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
Route through Albania
The route through Albania is also gaining popularity, where refugees arrive from Greece, and then reach Italy by sea or continue to the north of Europe by car. However, the movement of migrants through the territory of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina is hampered by sapper mines left in the ground since the civil war in the 1990s. The photo shows the border of Albania with Greece.

Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
Route through Bulgaria
Another alternative route runs through Bulgaria, from where migrants arrive from Turkey and then try to get to Romania or Serbia. True, this is very difficult: in Romania, the Carpathians are becoming an obstacle to further progress, and Serbia’s borders with the EU are closely monitored. As a result, many migrants settle in Bulgaria.

Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
Route through Romania
Romania has so far remained on the sidelines of large flows of refugees, but in January 60 migrants from Pakistan, Iraq, Morocco, Afghanistan and Somalia were detained here, trying to cross the border of the country with Serbia at night. Recently, local authorities have noted an increase in the number of refugees from Ukraine and Moldova – as a rule, these are Afghans who got here through the countries of Central Asia.

Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
“Arctic route”
Since the beginning of 2016, about a thousand refugees have arrived through the territory of Russia to Finland. According to the Finnish authorities, these are mainly migrants from Afghanistan, Syria, India and Bangladesh, many of whom have lived in Russia for a long time. Trying to avoid a further influx of refugees, the Russian Federation and Finland introduced temporary restrictions on the passage of third-country nationals at two border points.

Refugee path to Europe: alternative routes
“Baltic route”
Recently, cases of illegal crossing of the weakly fortified border of Latvia with Russia and Belarus have become more frequent. In 2015, about 500 illegal migrants were detained in the republic – mostly immigrants from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Latvia intends to limit the flow of migrants by using a fence at the border, which is to be built by 2020.
Author: Alexandra Yolkina