Dutch gov’t should drop migration complaints, end Bulgaria blockade, says EU commissioner

The rising tensions surrounding migration are the result of inadequate European cooperation, said Margaritis Schinas, European Commissioner for Asylum and Migration, in an interview with AD. The Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, also asked for more understanding in the reception of asylum seekers.

"In the Netherlands, people may say 'it's full'," told the Greek European Commissioner. "In Italy they don't want to take in everyone who is rescued from the sea, because there is no end to it. The Greek problem is that everyone stays on the islands and no one comes to lend a hand." He said those problems are the result of a lack of European cooperation.

The European migration pact that is currently being worked on must have three components, according to Schinas. Countries where migrants come from must be convinced to take back rejected asylum seekers. Secondly, there must be investments in border control and asylum procedures. The final condition is a fair distribution of asylum seekers across all 27 EU member states.

According to Schinas, an upper limit on the number of migrants the Netherlands can handle annually, as is currently being discussed in the country, would be unnecessary with the new migration pact. "I am confident that the numbers will become manageable once we have built that three-storey 'house'. Now people smugglers are pushing more and more people into Europe, because they know: Europe has no system anyway. They are exploiting our weaknesses.''

One of the measures that, according to Schinas, would actually strengthen the external borders is the expansion of the border-free Schengen zone with Romania and Bulgaria. The Netherlands opposes the accession to Bulgaria. Schinas thinks this is unjustified.

"I don't want to lecture any country, but there is no objective reason to oppose the accession. Romania and Bulgaria have done everything we asked of them and much more. The countries are much better prepared than some current Schengen countries. ''