Current:Home > InvestEU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back -Keystone Capital Education
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
View
Date:2025-04-11 12:56:33
BRUSSELS (AP) — Some European Union countries on Thursday doubled down on their decision to rapidly halt asylum procedures for Syrian migrants in Europe, but said that it was too early to consider sending any of the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled since 2011 back home.
Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and non-EU country Norway suspended asylum applicationsfrom Syrians in the wake of Bashar Assad’s fall. France is weighing whether to take similar action, at least until Syria’s new leadership and security conditions become clearer.
The decisions do not mean that Syrian asylum-seekers will be deported. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has said that currently “the conditions are not met for safe, voluntary, dignified returns to Syria.”
“We need to wait a few more days to see where Syria is heading now,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. “What is the situation? What about the protection of minorities? What about the protection of the people? And then, of course, there could be repatriation.”
Asked by reporters whether it would make sense to organize repatriations at an EU level, Faeser said “it would be very expedient to organize this together.”
But she stressed that Syrians who work in Germany and abide by its laws are welcome to stay. Over 47,000 asylum claims by Syriansare pending in Germany, a main destination in Europe for those who have fled since 2011.
“This is not a long term pause as far as I’m concerned,” Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee told reporters. “It’s really positive that the Assad regime has come to an end. At the same time, we can all see that it’s not clear what will happen next.”
The arrival in Europe in 2015 of well over 1 million refugees –- most fleeing the conflict in Syria –- sparked one of the EU’s biggest political crises as nations bickered over who should host them and whether other countries should be forced to help. Those tensions remain even today.
Almost 14,000 Syrians applied for international protection in Europe this year up to September, according to the EU’s asylum agency. Around 183,000 Syrians applied for asylum in all of last year. On average, around one in three applications are accepted.
Already on Monday, despite deep uncertainty about the country’s future, hundreds of Syrian refugees gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey, eagerly anticipating their return home following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.
In the days since Assad’s abrupt fall, rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has sought to reassure Syrians that the group he leads — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS – does not seek to dominate the country and will continue government services.
HTS appears on the EU’s anti-terrorism sanctions list as an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. That freezes any assets it has in Europe and prevents European citizens and companies from doing business with the group or funding it. Al-Golani is subject to a travel ban and asset freeze.
Belgium’s interior ministry said Thursday that the whole of the 27-nation EU must monitor Syrian migration flows, amid concern that Assad loyalists might seek refuge in Europe.
It said that around 100 of its nationals are in Syria, and that intelligence services believe that eight of them might have links to HTS.
On Tuesday, the EU’s top diplomat expressed concern that Syria might violently fall apart like neighboring Iraq, or Libya and Afghanistan if its territorial integrity and the rights of minorities are not protected.
“The transition will present huge challenges in Syria and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers during a special hearing.
The U.N.’s refugee agency has called for “patience and vigilance” in the treatment of Syrians who have sought international protection, and believes that much will depend on whether Syria’s new leaders are prepared to respect law and order.
___
Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (895)
Related
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Apple may hire Google to build Gemini AI engine into next-generation iPhone
- Uber driver hits and kills a toddler after dropping her family at their Houston home
- The Daily Money: Has the Great Resignation fizzled out?
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Federal court rules firearm restrictions on defendants awaiting trial are constitutional
- Why Rachel Nance Says She Walked Away From The Bachelor a True Winner
- March Madness snubs: Oklahoma, Indiana State and Big East teams lead NCAA Tournament victims
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Social media influencer is charged with joining the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Announcers revealed for NCAA Tournament men's first round
- Pedal coast-to-coast without using a road? New program helps connect trails across the US
- Inside RHOM Star Nicole Martin’s Luxurious Baby Shower Planned by Costar Guerdy Abraira
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- North Carolina lands syringe-manufacturing plant that will employ 400
- Chicago-area man gets 18 years for 2021 drunken driving crash that killed 3
- Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro clinches nomination for upcoming national election; seeks third term
Recommendation
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
Bettors counting on upsets as they put money on long shots this March Madness
March Madness snubs: Oklahoma, Indiana State and Big East teams lead NCAA Tournament victims
Former Nickelodeon TV show creator Dan Schneider denies toxic workplace allegations
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
An Alabama sculpture park evokes the painful history of slavery
Pair accused of defrauding, killing Washington state man who went missing last month
Former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner backs New York county’s ban on transgender female athletes