European Media with a Joint Appeal to Leaders to Solve Refugee Problem
Adelina Marini, September 11, 2015
Several large European newspapers united in a joint appeal to European leaders asking them to urgently start looking for a solution to the refugee crisis. Spanish El País, German Die Zeit, Italian la Repubblica, French Libération, British The Independent, Greek I Kathimerini, Hungarian Népszabadság, Slovakian Dennik N, Polish Gazeta Wyborcza, Swedish Aftonbladet, Danish Dagbladet Information, and Norwegian Morgenbladet appeal for the establishment of simple, safe, and practical methods of requesting asylum in Europe, so the refugees do not risk their lives in attempts to reach European shores. They also ask for solidarity to be demonstrated to the countries on the outside borders of Europe, where refugees and migrants arrive first. This is to happen by funding and organising a “safe, dignified and coordinated reception system“.
The newspapers also think that the Dublin Regulation must be suspended. It stipulates that asylum seekers are to be returned to their first point of entry. They support a fairer distribution of refugees among member states. “All European countries must participate in a relocation programme far more ambitious than what we have seen so far”, write the above-mentioned daily newspapers. They feel more pressure needs to be applied on Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the USA to cooperate in persuading the sides in the Syrian conflict to sit down and negotiate peace under UN auspices. “Our leaders must show courage and insight if they are to pass this test that our shared European civilisation is facing. We need to act, and we need to act now”, is said in the newspapers’ open letter.
Translated by Stanimir Stoev
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