Last Thursday 25 June 2015, European leaders met in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe.   

Luxembourg NGO Association de Soutien aux Travailleurs Immigrés (ASTI) has condemned the manner in which Europe has approached the crisis, criticising the failure of European leaders to negotiate quotas for the distribution of the influx of migrants.

Some 120,000 refugees from Syria and Eritrea have arrived in Europe since the beginning of the year, overwhelming asylum systems in Greece and Italy.

EU leaders gathered for Thursday's summit in Brussels to discuss a potential solution, but a full consensus was not reached due to a division of views between the 28 member states.

"Europe does not meet the standard of the ambitions it proclaims," said President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, after it was decided a programme forcing each country to take a certain number of asylum seekers would not go ahead. A long-term plan has not been reached and it is expected that talks will continue.

ASTI denounced the deliberation, stating that it represented a failure to provide urgent humanitarian support to men, women and children fleeing violent conflict in their home countries.

 

Similar criticism was given last week by the organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who claimed the European leaders involved needed to radically rethink their policies.

"This is an orchestrated humanitarian crisis resulting from the failure of the EU to put in place adequate and humane policies and practices to manage this issue," said Aurélie Ponthieu, Advisor on Migration Issues for MSF. "This deteriorating situation is not due to an unmanageable number of migrants and refugees. This is the result of EU chronic shortcomings in the management of new arrivals. The Member States spend their time talking about border closures or construction barriers, and on issuing ultimatums. This will not prevent people from coming, and will simply undermine all collaborative efforts to assist people in need."

 

Photo By: Médecins Sans Frontières