Moria refugee camp: German Greens call for a "coalition of the willing"

In the debate about the admission of migrants from the Greek Camp Moria, the opposition is increasing the pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel to find a quick solution.

Berlin - "With a view to the German EU Council Presidency, Germany has a special responsibility to take matters into its own hands and act as a humanitarian example. I urge the Chancellor to work with other European countries that want to take in refugees to form a coalition of the willing," said the Greens parliamentary group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt to Welt. In an emergency, Göring-Eckardt spoke out in favor of going it alone on a national level: "In Germany, many cities and municipalities are ready, the capacities are there. Germany must act now and take in those seeking protection." The Union parliamentary group, however, advises against going it alone. "It would be completely wrong if Germany would now agree to accept more migrants from Moria alone. If Europe were to get the impression that Germany is ready to act alone in the event of a crisis, then we can forget about a common European solution to the migration issue for the future," said parliamentary group vice-chairman Thorsten Frei (CDU). He warned that the "migration pressure on Europe" could grow again. Europe can only react to the Moria crisis together.

"A substantial number of states" must take part. The migration policy spokeswoman for the FDP parliamentary group, Linda Teuteberg, said: "Germany has to provide acute emergency aid locally through the technical relief organization and aid deliveries. In addition, we expect the German government to encourage the German EU Council Presidency to make progress on a common European migration policy. 2015 must not be repeated and the 'we' in 'we can do it' must be European." North Rhine-Westphalia's Refugee Minister Joachim Stamp (FDP) made Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) responsible. In addition to emergency care on Lesbos, it is about a reorganization of the European asylum and migration policy. "We need contracts with countries of origin and transit countries in order to move from irregular to regular migration. "Humanity and order are not mutually exclusive," said Stamp. "The German EU Council Presidency must show a completely different commitment to this. If neither Seehofer nor Maas are able to do this, we need a European special envoy to take control of the situation."

Source: Dernewsticker.de

Photo: Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP