Germany can take half a million refugees

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)

Berlin: Germany said it could take half a million refugees annually to help Europe’s migrant crisis as Greece’s Aegean islands struggled yesterday to cope with another wave of desperate humanity.

Reflecting deepening concern the European Union’s president warned the EU faced a years-long refugee crisis while the UN called on all countries of the world to join in tackling the problem.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s deputy Sigmar Gabriel said Germany “could surely deal with something in the order of half a million (refugees) for several years.”

And Merkel herself urged greater flexibility in EU migrant quotas and stressed that the crisis should lead to changes in Europe’s policy.

Germany has previously said it expects to receive 800000 asylum-seekers this year four times the 2014 total.

Berlin would keep accepting “a greatly disproportionate share” among EU members “because we are an economically strong country” Gabriel said.

But it was unacceptable for the EU to keep relying on just a few countries such as Austria Sweden and Germany he added saying “that’s why I am certain that European policy needs to change”.

With Greece’s migration minister Yiannis Mouzalas admitting the island of Lesbos was “on the verge of explosion” the Greek authorities opened a new centre to process the 30000 refugees the UN said were stuck there and on other Aegean Sea flashpoints with Athens promising more for other bottlenecks.

Greece’s migrant reception agency said it had asked the EU for emergency medical aid bedding equipment and over ¤9.5m ($10.6m) to support reception services on Lesbos Samos and Kos and send an operational unit to Chios. Lesbos mayor Spyros Galinos said procedural pressures were easing after an additional 140 staff arrived from Athens to handle migrant and refugee registration.

“Some 7000 people were registered yesterday and we expect at least the same number today” he said.

Earlier a handful of coastguards and riot police armed with batons struggled to control some 2500 migrants in Lesbos’ main port screaming “keep back” as the crowds surged towards a government-chartered ferry bound for Athens.

“It was horrible the last three days... There are no rooms no hotels no bathrooms no beds no anything” said Hussam Hamzat a 27-year-old engineer from Damascus who finally got his departure papers yesterday after an overnight wait.

“I stayed here eight nine days — oh my God I can’t even remember” said Aleddin an engineering student hoping to join his brother in Germany. “Some people have been here for 14 or 15 days. The government doesn’t care.”

The migrants are desperate to get into northern EU countries that have thrown open their doors — but between them lie several countries that are way-stations in what for many is a gruelling trek.

Several hundred migrants broke through police lines at Roszke on Hungary’s southern border with Serbia local media reported.

And in the Macedonian border town of Gevgelija hundreds of migrants poured across the border from Greece before heading to rail and bus stations.

The scenes underscored the task facing authorities across Europe as they struggle with waves of people trudging across the continent many of them Syrians fleeing war and misery.

EU president Donald Tusk warned the human haemorrhage to Europe would be long-lasting.

AFP