Germany and France argue that the EU must provide support to Afghanistan’s neighbors if they want to take care of the refugees following the Taliban’s takeover.
The idea that the EU should support a common quota for refugees, which would then have been distributed among the member states, was rejected by powerful EU countries before the summit on Tuesday.
Instead, a solution similar to the one reached by the EU with Turkey in connection with the refugee crisis in 2015 is advocated.
Turkey then received support to deal with the influx of refugees from neighboring Syria.
– The EU’s goal must be for people to stay close to their home country, says Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer before the meeting with the EU’s interior and justice ministers, in which Norway’s Monica Mæland (H) also participates.
AUGUST 16: Afghans who want to leave the country surround the international airport in Kabul. Photo: Shekib Rahmani, AP / NTB.
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Pakistan and Tajikistan
Seehofer asks the European Commission to present a plan very quickly for how Afghanistan’s neighbors, such as Pakistan and Tajikistan, can get support if they agree to take care of the refugees.
– The Turkish-Syrian model has worked well for the refugees. France will request that this model be used in Afghanistan, says French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, according to the news agencies AFP-DPA.
Luxembourg’s Foreign and Immigration Minister Jean Asselborn acknowledges that there is no mood for a common quota.
Requires promises from the EU
Asselborn nevertheless threatens to block a joint statement if it does not contain strong promises of protection for the most vulnerable.
– The EU is built on values. The goal must not be to close borders and organize returns, but to give vulnerable people hope, he says.
Seehofer says, however, that Asselborn and his like-minded people should have an understanding of the large EU countries that take in the most refugees.
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