During the plenary session (13-14 November 2019) of the Europaen Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate on the situation in the hotspots on the Greek islands. Statements by Tytti TUPPURAINEN, Finnish Minister for European Affairs, Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Claude MORAES (S&D, UK), Sophia IN'T VELD (RE, NL), Erik MARQUARDT (Greens/EFA, DE), Konstantinos ARVANITIS (GUE/NGL, EL) and Jeroen LENAERS (EPP, NL).

Brussels

debate

plenary session

MORAES, Claude (S&D, UK)

LENAERS, Jeroen (EPP, NL)

IN 'T VELD, Sophia (Renew, NL)

AVRAMOPOULOS, Dimitris (EL)

ARVANITIS, Konstantinos (The Left, EL)

MARQUARDT, Erik (Greens/EFA, DE)

TUPPURAINEN, Tytti (FI)

Situation in the hotspots on the Greek islands, in particular the case of Moria: extracts from the debate

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/4931158/I180194Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Tytti TUPPURAINEN, Finnish Minister for European Affairs, Almost 36,000 persons are present on the islands, inside and many also outside camps areas, designed for a maximum of around 8,000. This is the first time we have reached such a high number since the implementation of a EU-Turkey statement. Conditions are unacceptable, migrants and asylum seekers are facing a dire situation with significant shortages of basic shelter and unsanitary and unhygienic conditions. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, The root causes are still there and unfortunately there will be there for many many years, so we have a huge to address this issue and lead the whole world in providing support to these people and finding practical solutions. At the same time, returns need to be accelerated.  

SOUNDBITE (English), Claude MORAES (S&amp;D, UK), We have seen what is happening on Moria, we have seen 17,000 people, only three or four government doctors, NGOs telling as there is an emergency, so let's deal with that emergency before the winter but let's be clear it is a longer term problem and we need solidarity, real solidarity.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sophia IN&apos;T VELD (RE, NL), <a></a>This is now the fourth winter, the fourth winter that we leave people, human beings living in appalling conditions not because there are no boats going from the islands to the mainland. They are there for one reason only. It is a result of policy choices. It is deliberate and we have a collective responsibility. But I would like to point the finger at the Council, because I think it is deeply shameful that the Council for four years now has flatly refused to take its responsibility and adopt the asylum package.

SOUNDBITE (German), Erik MARQUARDT (Greens/EFA, DE), Most education have been provided by NGOs. There is no education provided for children in the camps. There are supposed to be 30,000 places on Moria but there are 14,000 there now. Imagine that minors are out sleeping on the streets. If you have a look at what has been done in the last few years Member States  would say at first, ok, we will relocate 160,000 people from Greece but in the end 100,000 places were pledged but only 35,000 are there resettled. Is that how European solidarity works? How can people be spending the winter in summer tents in Europe? 

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Konstantinos ARVANITIS (GUE/NGL, EL), Protecting the European Way of Life is going to be changed and is going to be about promoting the European Way of Life. I think the approach is wrong, you see humans as a problem, and you are not looking at the problem. You think that migrants are a problem, the problem is war. You do not really see the root causes, you see the results. The situation in the Moria camp is tragic. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Jeroen LENAERS (EPP, NL), A struggle for survival in hell on Earth. Thousands of people in dire conditions in Greece. Welcome to prison, winter hits one of these worst refugee camps.Third migrant dies in a week in harsh Greek camp conditions. Four articles, four different media outlets, four different winters. For four winters, we have been discussing here the urgent action needed in Greece. And it is not just about Greece. It is a European challenge. And the lack of solidarity is indeed appalling. Indeed, if a Greek minister sends his 27 colleagues a letter to ask for help and only one of them replies, what does that say about the other 26? What does that say about any of us?

Situation in the hotspots on the Greek islands, in particular the case of Moria: extracts from the debate

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