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Interior chiefs from Estonia, Belgium and the Netherlands all said Brussels needs to find ways of significantly upping the rate of deportations of economic migrants if it is to survive the latest spike in the continents migration crisis.

Eurocrats are now set to draw up a code of conduct, at the behest of Italy, which will govern how NGOs operating search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean should coordinate their operations with EU member states in the future.

A number of prominent Italian politicians have accused charities of acting as a taxi service for migrants and even communicating with people smuggling gangs to coordinate rescues - allegations aid workers furiously deny.

But arriving at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Estonia this morning several heavy hitters from across the continent hinted that patience with the current situation is now wearing thin, with 10,000 people arriving at Italian ports every day.

Rome has warned its reception facilities are close to collapsing under the strain and has threatened to start turning rescue vessels away from its shores, urging other member states to begin opening up their ports and sharing the burden instead.

Today there was little appetite amongst the remaining EU countries for doing so, but there were suggestions the bloc could start turning migrant boats back to Libya as a way of alleviating the growing pressure on Italy.

EU officials have said that the vast majority of those arriving in Italy from North Africa are not refugees, but "manifestly" economic migrants. French president Emmanuel Macron put the figure at "over 80 per cent" whilst the the UN has said it is around seven in 10.

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Dutch interior minister Stephanus Blok said: We need to work out both a better entrance system but also a better system to bring back people who are not entitled to asylum. It cannot remain as it is now.

Just opening more ports will not solve the problem by itself. We should also discuss the role that African ports should play in this field. We should take the African ports also into account."

His Belgian counterpart, Theo Francken, also suggested a new approach may be necessary stating that the current procedure of bringing everybody to Europe cannot go on in light of the huge numbers being rescued.

Asked if he agreed with a code of conduct for NGOs, he replied: "I'm absolutely pro. I think its very good that we have a code of conduct with the NGOs.

We have to save people but the solution is not in bringing everybody to Europe. That is not the solution, that will only increase the problem.

And grilled on Italys suggestion that other member states open up their ports to migrant boats, he added: I dont think were going to open Belgian ports, no.

We should take the African ports also into account

Dutch asylum minister Stephanus Blok

Estonian interior minister Andrea Anvelt, whose country currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, said European countries need to send a clear message that economic migrants will be deported swiftly.

He said: If we will not send the clear messages that we can return, once more time return policy is the preventive and key word in immigration crises.

So if we send the people back this will be the first and most important preventive measure that theres no reason to come here if you dont have the right.

The key programme is the return policy. How the people who dont have right to international protection can be quickly and efficiently sent back to third countries.

Those are the steps the EU has to take as quickly as possible. Legal migration is a possibility but illegal migration and also economic migration have to be stopped.

War torn Libya, which has two rival governments, is not considered a safe third country by the EU and there are question marks over whether turning boats back is legal under international law.

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Refugees and migrants wait in a small rubber boat to be rescued off Lampedusa, Italy

But EU leaders do want to strike a deal with the internationally recognised administration in Tripoli similar to the one they have with Turkey in an attempt to stem the huge numbers of arrivals.

And they could also try to reach agreements with other North African states, such as Tunisia and Egypt, which may be prepared to take on some of the migration burden in return for huge injections of aid cash.

Under the terms of Brussels pact with Ankara all economic migrants are returned across the Aegean, with one genuine refugee from a Turkish camp being housed for every person sent back.

NGOs and some politicians also fear that the EUs proposed code of conduct, which will be directed by Italy, will effectively be designed to act as a break on their search and rescue operations.

EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos insisted Brussels was not turning against charities, saying it had no problems with their activities in the Mediterranean.

He added: The idea behind this proposal is how to make our relations more functional through a more coordinated way. NGOs are contributing in a complimentary way but in a very substantial way to better do our job on the ground.

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'This can't go on' EU ministers hint they may start turning migrant boats back to Africa - Express.co.uk

For this edition of The Global Conservation, euronews was in Tallinn, Estonia: the Baltic nation that will spend the next six months in the EU hotseat.

This comes at a time when the 28-member club is facing a number of huge challenges: an ongoing migration crisis, Brexit and a resurgent Russia.

Euronews met with the Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, who took up her post as head of state in October last year.

Euronews James Franey

Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid. Welcome to The Global Conversation.

The President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid

Thank you.

Euronews

I just want to begin by asking you, the Italian government have threatened to close off their ports to humanitarian ships, which are not from Italy. Whats your reaction to that? With migration being really at the top of the agenda as you look set to take over the EU presidency.

President Kaljulaid

We need to break this situation where some countries are saying that they will not accept any part. They will take no responsibility at all. And then there are other countries who have this burden. We need to break this situation. We need to bridge the two differently thinking sides.

And there are different mechanisms. After all, because (the) EU by its nature is also quite a strong redistributor. It redistributes resources between the countries so that they can manage better the difficult situations which they are in. I think we need to look at all possible options. We also need to understand this that people coming to Europe who have the right to seek asylum, they have certain preferences to where they go. And we have to discuss this through as well.

People, because they can freely move, move, of course, around in Europe. They tend to go where probably their income level in the future might be higher. And its human. Its a very understandable situation. Because if you have lost everything. If you have lost your home already, you will try to get the best conditions for you and your family. Middle-income countries face difficulties here. We need to discuss those issues as well.

Euronews

And you said about possible options to bring these countries onside, who are not living up to their commitments as it were. What kind of options could you be talking about?

President Kaljulaid

I am thinking of the possibility to support financially more those countries who are ready to accept people coming from other countries. On the other hand, you cannot create a moral difficulty for those governments, who will then have (to face) questions.

They are asylum seekers. They are settling here. You are supporting them better than the people who are your own poor.

We need to have all these points on the table and discuss them through. But it is not a situation that will be solved by itself. Good faith is needed.

Euronews

President Trump, hes been lets say lukewarm with regards to his commitments towards NATO. How confident are you that hes fully behind the alliance?

President Kaljulaid

He takes to the Twitter and his words might not be exact or spot-on as we expect maybe, or hope them to be.

But if you look outside of the Twitter world, and if you look at the whole administrations policy, its rock solid. I have absolutely no doubt that it has been for all these six months. The messages that me and my colleagues around this region have received are exactly the same. There is no wavering. There hasnt been any wavering. And, of course, we feel secure because you know being prepared because you have an unpredictable neighbour doesnt mean being afraid. We dont deal every day with thinking: What if?.

We do trust NATO. We do trust our allies. And we have an alliance based on our democratic values. Based on the international security architecture. We all respect our signatures on international contracts and agreements. Indeed, there is a country our neighbour who unfortunately at this moment does not respect its own signatures on these international agreements.

Euronews

Russia has some 300,000 troops stationed on its western flank. What do you think Mr. Putins intentions are?

President Kaljulaid

What Mr. Putin has been after, already before the Georgian war, in fact, was to renegotiate, rearrange exactly this what we talked about the international security architecture built on the Helsinki Final Act, which says every country has the right to decide with whom they do business, with whom they associate themselves. And this does not suit him. He is out to change it.

In Georgia, I believe that the Western world made an error because they didnt see that they are teaching the wrong lesson. There was a try to renegotiate before that, when Medvedev was president, in fact. It was a no-go. But then in Georgia, Russia learned that if you act, the reaction is relatively mild. And so the avalanche arrived in Crimea. And then, I guess Then I am quite sure that everybody understood what is behind it. It is a threat to our international security architecture. The right to every country to decide needs to be defended.

Euronews

I just want to look at this issue of unity because the standard line in the European Union is that we are all united. We did indeed see the extension of sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. But there are lots of other divisions as well. Take the example of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, we had 13 countries speak out against it in Brussels just a few days ago. But Germany and France seem to be fully behind it. Whats your take on that?

President Kaljulaid

Gas is just losing its importance, anyway. And you cannot hold anybody hostage anymore by pipelines. Of course, that also means that you cannot guarantee anybody big revenues by using their pipelines. And that now brings us to the Ukrainian question. You may have NordStream 2 or you may not have NordStream 2, but you have to understand that the supply of gas will be diversified through other options in the whole of Europe anyway. Technology is just changing so quickly.

Euronews James Franey

Do you think Mr. Putin uses gas and energy as a means of dividing the EU?

President Kaljulaid

He definitely tries to use every crack to put a wedge in and show that Europe is not united.

Euronews James Franey

The British Prime Minister Theresa May has made an offer on citizens rights. I believe theres roughly 10,000 Estonians living in the United Kingdom. Do you think the offer that she has made is sufficient?

President Kaljulaid

We do hope and we are quite sure that we can trust the UK to protect their rights.

Euronews James Franey

And how can that be done?

President Kaljulaid

The United Kingdom is a democratic country, a free country, which shares our values, which will remain in Europe, which will remain our partner and ally, even after the Brexit happens. We will not allow any of those discussions to break down those links and this is not anybodys objective in Europe, I can assure you.

Euronews James Franey

You said something very interesting there.when Brexit happens. There are still some people in Brussels who think that Brexit is reversible and might not happen.

President Kaljulaid

I would very much hope that it could be the case. But I dont see how this could happen. Of course, I am not happy to see the UK leave the European Union. I am more sad maybe for the British people because, as I said already, I dont think that even economically this is a decision that will pay off.

See more here:
Europe's most pressing problems: Russian resurgence, the migrant-crisis and Brexit - euronews

What a forty eight hours it has been for Emmanuel Macron. On Monday, he gave his regal address to the National Assembly at the Palace of Versailles, a grandiose occasion during which the French president rivalled Tony Blair and Barack Obama for swaggering self-confidence. As Jonathan Miller said in theSpectator, its hard not to be cowed by the absolute bravado of the young president.Then, on Tuesday, Macrons prime minister, douard Philippe, presented to the Assembly his governments programme for the next five years. As is the tradition, the MPs were asked at the end of the general policy speech to give the PM their backing. Of the 577 MPs in the Assembly, only 67 dared vote against the government the fewest number to oppose a Premier Ministers programme since 1959.So the coup is complete. Emmanuel Macron has swept to power, as has his En Marche! party, and with an unprecedented majority in the Assembly, the president has carte blanche to reform and revitaliseFrance.

While Philippe was addressing the parliament on Tuesday, Macron visited Frances nuclear submarine base in Brittany. As is the presidents custom he tweeted the fact, declaring that France has a deterrent force, guaranteeing peace while posting several photographs including one of himself being lowered onto a submarine from a helicopter. As one magazine noted, he really does believe hes Jupiter, descending from the sky to save France.But before the president goes too overboard with the man of action memehe should perhaps ponder recent events in France. It has been anything but a peaceful few days.

On Saturday, a brawl broke out among an estimated 100 Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants in Calais, the latest in a growing number of violent incidents at the Channel port; a fortnight ago, a driver was killed when his van collided with a makeshift barricade.OnMonday evening two masked men opened fire outside a mosque in Avignon, wounding several people including a young girl in what police said was a gangland crime. Twenty four hours later, a man disguised as a woman wearing a niqab pulled an assault rifle from the pram his was pushing in Toulouse and shot dead one man and wounded six others.These stories dont make the global headlines in the same way as the Islamist attacks on the Champs-lyses but they continue to corrode the morale of the French. That was evident in a poll published this week that revealed 65 per cent of the population think there are too many foreigners in France, and 60 per cent judge Islam to be incompatible with the Republics values.

With Europes migrant crisis deepening by the day those percentages will only increase in the coming months, particularly as a growingnumber of Africans are making their way to the Italian-French border. In the first six months of 2017, nearly 20,000 were intercepted as they tried to cross into France and the local police are struggling to cope; as are their colleagues inCalais, and in Paris, where one district in the north of the capital has reportedly become a no-go zone to women because of the number of sexually aggressive young men.

Something else happened this week of which the president will be aware. Marine Le Pen announced that she will consult with her partys members to discuss refounding the National Front. In other words, changing its name to attract the millions of voters that Le Pen believes share her anxieties but are fearful of voting for a party called the National Front.Le Pen also seems to have accepted that she got her strategy hopelessly wrong in the presidential campaign, focusing too much on leaving the EU and too little on immigration, Islam and insecurity. That was the fault of her vice-president, Florian Philippot, loathed by most grass root supporters of the FN, but whose influence is now on the wane after his failure to win a seat in the National Assembly.

So Le Pen is returning to the partys core issues, regarding them as the best means to attack the government. Asked by reporters for her reaction to the Prime Ministers address, Le Pen expressed her incredulity that there wasnt one word on security, one of the very importantconcerns of the French people[and] not a word on how were going to tackle Islamist fundamentalism.

Emmanuel Macron is clearly a man who likes to be in control, and already in his short presidency he has exerted his authority on his party, his parliament and his people. But can he control the flow of migrants coming to Europe? Since Angela Merkel invited the world to come to the continent two years ago, no-one has shown the remotest sign of getting a grip on the gravest crisis to face Europe since 1945. Maybe Macron can work a miracle. France has given him five years, and while the clock ticks, Le Pen waits.

Read this article:
The migrant crisis could prove to be Macron's undoing - Spectator.co.uk (blog)

I expect that very soon border controls will be activated and that a assistance deployment (by the military) will be requested, Hans Peter Doskozil told the online edition of the Krone daily.

He was cited as saying that this move was indispensible if the inflow into Italy does not ease. The paper said that 750 soldiers were available and that four armoured vehicles had already been sent to the area over the weekend.

Austria introduced checks on its eastern border with Hungary in 2015 and has readied physical measures such as barriers on its Italian border in the south-west, including at the famous Brenner Pass.

Nearly 85,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Italy by sea this year, the UN refugee agency said earlier Monday. More than 2,000 others have died or gone missing on the perilous crossing.

This is not sustainable. We need to have other countries joining Italy and sharing that responsibility, Vincent Cochetel, the UNHCRS special envoy for the central Mediterranean, told reporters in Geneva.

The comments from the centre-left Doskozil come ahead of early elections in Austria in October when the anti-immigration far-right is forecast to do well and potentially emerge as the biggest party.

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Migrant Crisis: Austria Ready to Deploy Army, Impose Checks at Italy Border - Breitbart News

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Thousands of lives have been lost but also thousands have been saved because they have been assisted to a safe landing.

The law requires the rescue of people in distress on the high seas and so does common humanity.

But with nearly 6,000 refugees arrive on its shores each day mostly from Africa Italy has had enough and is actively considering blocking the boats carrying migrants from landing.

The Italian ambassador to the EU, Maurizio Massari is seeking a mandate to raise the issue with the European commission with a view to changing EU asylum procedures.

The UN has called for a Europe-wide solution to this ongoing crisis and not before time.

If there are signs of some sort of concerted action then it is to be welcomed.

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Refugees and migrants wait in a small rubber boat to be rescued off Lampedusa, Italy

But merely passing the problem around the various European states to alleviate the burden on Greece and Italy cannot be the answer.

What is essential is to make it far more difficult and far less profitable for people smugglers to operate in the first place.

International co-operation must stop the problem at its source and prevent yet more deaths by drowning in the coming months of summer.

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Downing Street has told business leaders in no uncertain terms that Britain will walk away from the Brexit talks if there is no satisfactory deal in the offing regarding the divorce settlement.

The going figure is now set at 87.7billion which is surely more than the most disgruntled exspouse is entitled to.

Theresa May is right to remind both business leaders and Brussels that the option of a walkout is still very much a possibility.

For otherwise the Eurocrats would sense that they can batter Britain into submission with their demands.

The setback for the Government following the General Election can be overstated.

The fact is that Britain is still in a position of strength in its negotiations with Brussels.

We have the power to walk from the table and Mrs May is not bluffing when she says she is willing to use that power.

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Andy Murary's wife Kim in pictures

Anew baby on the way and another Wimbledon Championship to win.

So no pressure for Andy Murray as he walks out on court.

Best of luck Sir Andy and congratulations to Lady Murray.

Within a few years the family will be able to hold their owns doubles matches.

Originally posted here:
Call for a solution to the migrant crisis is overdue - EXPRESS COMMENT - Express.co.uk