A migrant crisis has developed on the border between Poland and Belarus. President Alexander Lukashenko’s Belarusian regime has been sending migrants to the borders of EU countries in response to sanctions imposed by the EU over human rights violations. As a result, thousands of people have gathered at the Polish border. JEF Finland condemns Belarus’s actions and demands strong action from the EU.
“Using people in vulnerable positions as a tool of hybrid influence is monstrous. Lukashenko and the Belarusian regime must be punished harshly for their actions. The EU must significantly tighten the economic sanctions it has imposed and cut Belarus off from the SWIFT payment system”, comments JEF Finland’s President Risto Rajala.
The EU does not have a unified asylum policy. Under the current system, member states decide independently on granting asylum, which has resulted in inconsistent handling of asylum claims. The current system has also led to asylum applications being concentrated on a small number of member states, since responsibility for processing an asylum claim has fallen to the member state where the asylum seeker first arrived within EU territory.
“JEF Finland demands that the EU create a common asylum policy that is effective, but also fair and sustainable. The human rights of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe must be respected – not a single person should die at the border”, Rajala adds.