EU denies 'double standards' in its asylum policy

World

Published: 2022-03-18 17:08

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 23:04


Source: The Sun Daily
Source: The Sun Daily

The European Union stressed Friday that it does not treat refugees from Ukraine with double standards compared to those from Syria, as it faces Europe's biggest migration crisis since World War Two.

The bloc has been accused of having welcomed Ukrainian refugees more openly than it did with those who fled conflicts in the Middle East.

But European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said Friday that the bloc's refugee policy does not vary according to the country of origin.

But he added that the current situation with refugees from Ukraine is "unique" given that it is adjacent to a number of European Union countries, whereas Syria is not. 

"We have a number of (EU) member states bordering Ukraine, so the (asylum) movement comes directly to the EU," he told reporters in Istanbul.

According to the United Nations, more than three million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, and more than two million of them crossed to Poland, which is part of the Union.

The European Union granted Ukrainian refugees temporary protection status, meaning they have the right to stay, access health care, go to school and work.

"We will make sure that the protection we give these people is applied as a general principle across the European Union," Schinas said.

In comparison, more than a million people, mostly from Syria, arrived on European coasts in 2015, but were not automatically granted protected status.

The European Union reports that its member states eventually granted asylum to more than 550,000 Syrian refugees in 2015 and 2016.

Many Syrians resided in Turkey based on an agreement concluded by Ankara with the European Union in 2016, according to which it would receive incentives, including financial aid, in return for receiving them.

Schinas stressed that the European Union fulfilled its responsibilities towards the Syrian refugees.

"We did our duty and I don't see double standards," he said.

Syrians fleeing war in their own country can apply for asylum in Europe, but they do not automatically receive protection status, as is the case for Ukrainian refugees.

Schinas pointed out that the matter is related to geography, given that Ukraine shares borders with five member states of the European Union.

He added, "Europe will remain a destination for people fleeing war or persecution. This is what distinguishes us as Europeans."