The EC said in a statement that it would send a first instalment of financial assistance to France of 20 million euros ($22 million), less than a day after some 600 fresh attempts were made to penetrate the tunnel, according to a police source.
The situation in the northern French port of Calais has hit the headlines in the past week, with people desperate to reach Britain making attempt after attempt to breach Eurotunnel defences, some paying for it with their lives.
Last week, a Sudanese man in his 30s died, apparently crushed to death by a lorry, and at least 10 people have been killed since June trying to get to Britain where many already have family and work is perceived as easier to find.
The EC's Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said the first instalment of a special grant would now be sent to help Paris deal with its side of the crisis.
Britain has already received 27 million euros.
"This comes from the total of over 266 million euros earmarked for France and over 370 million euros earmarked for the UK for the period covering 2014-20," Avramopoulos said in a statement.
“At this stage, neither France nor the UK have requested additional assistance and I have full trust in their ability to manage the situation,” he added.
The EC also offered the two countries its technical assistance, including help to process asylum applications through a support office.
"The European Borders Agency, Frontex, can help identify and register migrants, collaborate with countries of origin and transit to speed up the issuing of travel documents for return, and coordinate and finance joint return operations," Avramopoulos said.
'Solidarity, responsibility'
A police source said earlier Tuesday some 500 migrants had been seen overnight next to the Channel Tunnel site near Calais, and of the 600 attempts they made to enter, around 400 were repelled by authorities.
Of the other 200 people, 180 were caught within the site and removed and a further 20 were arrested.
Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, was also inspecting a section of one of the undersea tunnels for an "anomaly" that was causing delays earlier Tuesday, the group said, though traffic returned to normal later in the day.
The crisis in Calais has become a cross-Channel political hot potato and has seen French police bolster their presence in Calais with 120 additional officers.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose government on Monday announced new measures to crack down on illegal immigrants, came under fire last week for comments in which he referred to "swarms" of people seeking to get into the country.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, meanwhile, has urged Britain to do more to help with the crisis.
But commissioner Avramopoulos warned the Calais crisis is "another stark example of the need for a greater level of solidarity and responsibility in the way we deal with migratory pressures in Europe".
"We are facing a migratory crisis of extraordinary proportions that is very much linked to the conflicts occurring in the wider periphery of Europe," he said.
"We must act in a united way to address a challenge that surpasses national boundaries," he added.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
france24.com
5/7/15
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[1] European Commission - Statement
- Statement from Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos
Brussels, 04 August 2015
Today I held constructive and friendly bilateral exchanges with
both French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and with UK Home
Secretary Theresa May, who updated me on the situation in Calais and the
measures they are taking to address it.Above all, I would like to welcome the strong cooperation between both countries on this issue.
I outlined the support the Commission is able to offer – for instance, the European Asylum Support Office is able to help with the processing of asylum applications and the European Borders Agency, Frontex, can help identify and register migrants, collaborate with countries of origin and transit to speed up the issuing of travel documents for return, and coordinate and finance joint return operations.
I also confirmed that the Commission will now disburse the first instalment of €20 million in national funding under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for France. The Commission has already granted the UK a pre-financing of about €27 million. This comes from the total of over €266 million earmarked for France and over €370 million earmarked for the UK for the period covering 2014-20.
At this stage, neither France nor the UK have requested additional assistance and I have full trust in their ability to manage the situation.
More generally, the situation in Calais is another stark example of the need for a greater level of solidarity and responsibility in the way we deal with migratory pressures in Europe; it is one piece of a bigger puzzle that requires a broad set of responses.
We are facing a migratory crisis of extraordinary proportions that is very much linked to the conflicts occurring in the wider periphery of Europe.
That is why we all need to do more. We must act in a united way to address a challenge that surpasses national boundaries.
Greater effort also need to be made to cooperate with third countries of origin and transit, particularly on returns and readmission agreements – an area where working collectively at EU level is crucial. I expect concrete results from the summit with African countries that will take place in Valetta on 11-12 November.
What we need is a European response on managing migration better, addressing all parts of the chain – from the immediate need to save lives to working on root causes with partner countries, fighting against traffickers and making returns more effective, as well as a long term strategy on strengthening our asylum system and borders. This is what the Commission set out in the Migration Agenda adopted in May, which is starting to be implemented.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-15-5472_en.htm?locale=en
4/8/15
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EU approves €2.4 billion to tackle migrant crisis...
ReplyDeleteThe European Commission on Monday approved 2.4 billion euros of aid over six years for member countries struggling to cope with a tide of immigrants as hundreds of new refugees were rescued while trying to cross the Mediterranean.
Italy and Greece will receive the bulk of aid, with nearly €560 million and €473 million earmarked for the two southern European countries respectively.
Tensions have escalated since the spring as thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa try to reach European shores, with the UN refugee agency calling the “chaotic” situation on Greek islands “shameful”.
More than 2,000 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year, making 2015 a record-year for fatalities, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Several migrants have also died in the French port city of Calais, a bottleneck for migrants attempting to enter Britain via the Eurotunnel.
Some of the newly-approved EU aid will be disbursed to French and British authorities tackling the crisis in Calais.
“We are now able to disburse the funding for the French national programme and the UK has already received the first disbursement of its funding,” Natasha Berthaud, a European Commission spokeswoman, told a news conference.
“Both of these programmes will, amongst other things, also deal with the situation in Calais.”
‘Not acceptable’
Meanwhile, Greek coast guards rescued more than 1,400 migrants near several islands in the Aegean Sea over the past three days, authorities said Monday.
Tens of thousands of people, many of them fleeing war and conflict in Syria and Afghanistan, have been making their way from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in inflatable rafts..........http://www.france24.com/en/20150810-eu-approves-24-billion-migrant-crisis-greece-italy-calais
10/8/15