EU fudges controversial issue of African refugees

THERE was a lot of commotion on a flight from Brussels to Budapest on Thursday when a 26-year-old Afghan refugee was being taken by Belgian police to Hungary.

Two sat either side of the man on the back row of seats on the plane while one lent over him from the row of seats in front. Another stood in the aisle, while a fifth policeman explained to the rest of the passengers why there was such a lot of noise coming from the rear.

“Under the Dublin Convention we are returning him to Hungary, the first country in the EU he entered, to have his refugee request dealt with there. We have tried three times to get him to return voluntarily but he would not. So now we have to take him there.

“This is his last chance to draw attention to himself so this is why he is making so much noise. We are sorry,” the young police officer explained.

“Oh my God. Oh my God,” the voice, hoarse from repeating his mantra, continued in English from the back of the plane, occasionally adding “my head, my head”. We were pretty sure the police would not get too heavy handed with him. A few years ago an African woman died when they tried to stifle her cries by putting a cushion over her head, in a similar situation on a deportation flight.

It is sad that the name of Dublin has been given to this hideous EU fudge of how to deal with immigrants into Europe since it was agreed during an Irish presidency. It has not worked, of course, and neither has any of the other half-baked decisions because no country in Europe wants poor foreigners. Having abolished borders under Schengen they want to retain them in relation to migrants.

The revolutions in North Africa and the craziness of Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi and France’s Nicolas Sarkozy could just bring the whole issue to the boil finally.

The Italian island of Lampadusa, and other islands closer to Africa than Europe, are traditional landing places for would-be refugees from north Africa. Strangely enough, the Italians actually host fewer refugees and immigrants than most other EU countries when all the figures are added up.

But Mr Berlusconi, never letting principles or prejudices stand in the way, did a deal with Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi that he would warehouse any Africans trying to cross into Europe. This is despite the fact that Libya has never signed a UN convention on rights or protections of refugees and does not have a government office to deal with the issue.

Berlusconi came to a similar deal with Tunisia last week to block future departures and agree to give six-month residency permits to more than 20,000 migrants — which would give them the right to free travel to all EU Schengen countries.

Since Tunisia is a former French colony, the Italians got France to agree to grant the Tunisians economic aid, and take part in joint sea and air patrols to turn back the tide of refugees. But of course the boats continued to come, some of them sinking with loss of life, others carrying exhausted people of all ages from all over Africa.

Speaking French and with strong links with France, the Tunisians are leaving Italy for their former colonial masters. But Sarkozy has said the Tunisians can only stay if they can prove they can support themselves and have valid documents.

He said he will tighten border controls and French police have refused entry to Tunisians despite the fact that they are holding Italian residency permits — a breach of Schengen rules.

EU justice and foreign ministers will discuss this latest crisis today and tomorrow when they meet in Luxembourg.

Their only response so far is to beef up Frontex, the tiny external border agency, to patrol the Mediterranean.