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13:29 30.05.2017(updated 13:31 30.05.2017) Get short URL

Earlier this month, the EU parliament and the European Council formalized a long-awaited visa liberalization agreement withUkraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko dubbed the decision 'historic', saying that it was Ukraine's final goodbye toits Soviet and Russian 'imperial past'.

The agreement, expected totake effect June 11, will allow Ukrainian citizens withbiometric passports toenter Schengen Area countries (except forthe UK and Ireland), forup to90 days inany 180-day period visa-free. During entry, travelers will be required toproduce a return ticket, proof ofa hotel reservation or an invitation fromrelatives living inthe EU, proof ofmedical insurance and atleast 45 euros foreach day they plan tospend onSchengen Area territory.

AP Photo/ Virginia Mayo

Speaking toRadio Sputnik, Russian political scientist Vladimir Shapovalov explained why Europeans' concerns are justified.

"These fears are well-founded. Notwithstanding the fact that the EU has adopted special regulatory measures aimed atpreventing the influx ofguest workers, it's obvious that many Ukrainian citizens will attempt touse the visa-free regime tostay inEurope," the analyst said.

"Today, there are already hundreds ofthousands ofUkrainians looking forwork inEU countries, and it's obvious that the introduction ofa visa-free regime strongly stimulates the aspirations ofUkrainians looking toget intoEurope."

"And these aspirations are understandable," Shapovalov added. "The Ukrainian economy is facing a grave crisis, exacerbated bypolitical problems and those related tothe [war ineastern Ukraine]. In this situation, working abroad is not just a decision taken ona whim, buta real opportunity toavoid the tremendous social problems and poverty which are typical forUkraine."

Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy

Shapovalov suggested that the problem ofpossible illegal labor migration toEU countries is only compounded bythe fact that Kiev is actively seeking todiscourage Ukrainians fromcoming toRussia towork.

An estimated 2.1 million working-age Ukrainians are estimated tobe living and working inRussia. They send home hundreds ofmillions ofdollars-worth ofremittances totheir home country each year. If these migrant workers are squeezed outof Russia, they will need tofind somewhere else togo tofeed families.

"It's no secret that there are millions ofUkrainians working inRussia. If the Ukrainian government creates a regime banning citizens fromworking inRussia, Ukrainians will have nothing left todo butdash fromthe east tothe west, that is, toseek work inPoland, Germany, France and the UK. This is the result ofthe policy being pursued byKiev and, indirectly, the EU," Shapovalov concluded.

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Migrant Crisis Part II: EU Braces for Flood of Illegal Ukrainian Migrant Workers - Sputnik International

TAORMINA, ITALY

Italy chose to host a Group of Seven summit of wealthy nations on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean, looking to draw attention to the migrant crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of people set sail from Africa in search of a better life in Europe.

But world leaders on Saturday said little that will help Italy manage the steady flow of migrants to its shores or enable it to cope with the growing number of new arrivals.

"Even though this summit took place in Sicily, a stone's throw from where so many migrants have died, it produced no concrete steps to protect vulnerable migrants or to address the root causes of displacement and migration," said Roberto Barbieri, the local director of humanitarian group Oxfam.

Food security

Rome had hoped to persuade other major industrialized nations to open more legal channels for migration and to focus attention on food security -- policies which were meant to lower the number of people who set off for Europe.

But the plan was scrapped before the two-day summit even started, with the United States, Britain and Japan unwilling to commit to major new immigration initiatives.

The final communique outlined medium-term commitments to bolster African economies and promote sustainable agriculture, but it focused more on the need for each country to guarantee national security than on how to limit migration.

Countries "reaffirm the sovereign rights of states to control their own borders and set clear limits on net migration levels," said the communique.

'Desperate measures'

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the language was decided "weeks ago" by diplomats from G7 nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and the United States.

"It wasn't an issue that was the focus of debate, other than recognising the humanitarian importance of taking people in as this region has done," Gentiloni said of Sicily, which has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants arrive since 2014.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there had been "excellent" discussion on the need boost economic opportunity, in particular during outreach sessions with five African leaders on Saturday, so that people "are not driven to take desperate measures to improve their lot".

Both the United States and Britain opposed the Italian pre-summit initiative to draft a stand-alone G-7 statement entitled "G7 Vision on Human Mobility", an Italian official said.

Open, safe, legal paths

That document included language on the need for open, safe and legal paths for migrants and refugees, according to excerpts seen by Reuters.

Italy has been put under increasing pressure as EU partners have refused to relocate large numbers of asylum seekers, and some have closed their southern borders to keep migrants out of their own countries, effectively sealing them in Italy.

More than 175,000 asylum seekers live in Italian shelters. With sea arrivals at a record pace this year, the issue is hotly debated by politicians facing a general election within a year.

Over the past 10 days, almost 10,000 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya, where people smugglers cram them onto unsafe boats. Dozens died, including many children.

"We know that the deadliest season is upon us. It starts pretty much now, at least it has for the last few years," Joel Millman, spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said on Friday. "We expect these coming weeks to be much worse."

Originally posted here:
Italy Still Isolated in Shouldering Migration Crisis After G-7 - Voice of America

The Star, Kenya

G7 leaders turn gaze to Africa, hold talks on migrant crisis, war on terror The Star, Kenya However, Italian proposals to highlight the positive impact of migration and to promote a major initiative on food security were both shot down in pre-summit talks, with the Trump administration unwilling to play up any benefits of human mobility, a ... Trump is expected to clash with other world leaders at the G-7 summitVICE News Trump foreign tour: G7 leaders turn attention to AfricaBBC News Trump refuses to commit to climate change agreement at G7 summitNewstalk 106-108 fm The Australian -Jordan Times -McClatchy Washington Bureau -BBC News all 2,062 news articles »

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G7 leaders turn gaze to Africa, hold talks on migrant crisis, war on terror - The Star, Kenya

Related content

(CNN) - World leaders at the G-7 summit on Friday will meet in Sicily -- a promised land for thousands of migrants making the desperate journey from North Africa to Europe.

This week, Italy received 4,513 migrants to the country. It was a 576% increase from the previous week, according to the International Organization for Migration. It could suggest that more migrants are attempting to cross the Mediterranean as the weather gets warmer -- a pattern seen in previous years.

So far this year, Italy has received about 90% of the approximately 60,000 migrants who arrived to Europe by sea, according to the UN High Commisioner for Refugees data, updated this week.

On Wednesday, a wooden boat carrying about 500 migrants was hit by a wave that caused passengers to rush to one side of the vessel, according to the Italian Coast Guard. This tipped about 200 people overboard into the Mediterranean. Thirty-four people died, said the Coast Guard.

Dramatic photos showed people in orange life vests bobbing in the water calling for help.

One man without a life jacket clung to the side of a boat as an Italian Coast Guard boat approached. "Come on, my friend!" one rescuer yelled at him. Rescuers reached out to him and pulled him to safety, as shown in a video released by the Italian Coast Guard. When the man was brought to safety, he sobbed uncontrollably as a rescuer embraced him.

Ships from the Italian Coast Guard, Great Britain, Spain and two NGOs -- Doctors Without Borders and MOAS -- worked to rescue about 1,800 migrants who were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in four rubber boats and six wooden vessels.

Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) a private humanitarian organization, said that seven children died.

"There are no words for what is happening in the Central Mediterranean right now," said Christopher Catrambone, founder of MOAS, in a statement. "It is a horrifying tragedy that continues to unfold on Europe's doorstep."

"MOAS is doing everything it can but alternative solutions must be found by Europe's leaders if this continuing loss of life is to be mitigated," he said.

Other groups also called for the G-7 to commit to humane migration policies.

Several NGOs and UNICEF are urging leaders of the seven major economies to address the ongoing migrant crisis. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be in attendance in Taormina, Italy.

Dr. Joanne Liu, international president of Doctors Without Borders, also known as Mdecins Sans Frontires, or MSF, called the rising deaths at sea "as a humanitarian failure on their watch."

UNICEF estimates that at least 200 children have died trying to cross the Mediterranean into Italy this year.

"This is their [G7's] moment to show true leadership in adopting a concrete policy plan that will help keep refugee and migrant children safe," Justin Forsyth, UNICEF deputy executive director said in a statement.

In 2015, the number of migrants entering or attempting to enter Europe exploded in the largest migration since World War II. The unprecedented surge brought more than a million migrants and refugees into Europe that year.

In response, European countries began to curb their own refugee programs. Governments have sought to fortify their countries' borders with fences, walls and guards against future mass migrations.

A deadly record was set in 2016 as at least 3,800 migrants died in the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, migration into Greece from Turkey largely stopped after a controversial EU-Turkey deal in 2016. Ankara agreed to take back all, new migrants who leave Turkey's shores for Europe including those intercepted in its territorial waters, on the condition that one legitimate Syrian refugee is resettled in Europe for every Syrian returned to Turkey.

After the deal went into effect, arrivals to Greece plummeted in 2016 while arrivals to Italy increased.

This year, Italy made a deal to bolster Libya's coast guard so it could spot departing migrant boats and also house migrants attempting to cross.

Doctors Without Borders has been critical of both the EU-Turkey and Italy-Libya deals, slamming them as "outsourcing migration management to -- often unsafe -- third countries."

Migrants arriving by sea this year has not been at the same level as that in 2015. Two years ago by May, 91,441 refugees and migrants had arrived to Europe by sea.

So far this year, 60,199 sea arrivals have been recorded, according to UNHCR data.

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Green Bay Few Clouds - WeAreGreenBay.com

This week, Italy received 4,513 migrants to the country. It was a 576% increase from the previous week, according to the International Organization for Migration. It could suggest that more migrants are attempting to cross the Mediterranean as the weather gets warmer -- a pattern seen in previous years.

A rescue crewmember from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station "Phoenix" vessel reaches out to pull a man into a rescue craft on May 24.

On Wednesday, a wooden boat carrying about 500 migrants was hit by a wave that caused passengers to rush to one side of the vessel, according to the Italian Coast Guard. This tipped about 200 people overboard into the Mediterranean. Thirty-four people died, said the Coast Guard.

Dramatic photos showed people in orange life vests bobbing in the water calling for help.

One man without a life jacket clung to the side of a boat as an Italian Coast Guard boat approached. "Come on, my friend!" one rescuer yelled at him. Rescuers reached out to him and pulled him to safety, as shown in a video released by the Italian Coast Guard. When the man was brought to safety, he sobbed uncontrollably as a rescuer embraced him.

Refugees and migrants swim towards a rescue craft as a rescue crewmember from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) 'Phoenix' vessel pulls a man on board.

Ships from the Italian Coast Guard, Great Britain, Spain and two NGOs -- Doctors Without Borders and MOAS -- worked to rescue about 1,800 migrants who were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in four rubber boats and six wooden vessels.

Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) a private humanitarian organization, said that seven children died.

A woman cries after losing her baby in the water.

"There are no words for what is happening in the Central Mediterranean right now," said Christopher Catrambone, founder of MOAS, in a statement. "It is a horrifying tragedy that continues to unfold on Europe's doorstep."

"MOAS is doing everything it can but alternative solutions must be found by Europe's leaders if this continuing loss of life is to be mitigated," he said.

Other groups also called for the G-7 to commit to humane migration policies.

Dr. Joanne Liu, international president of Doctors Without Borders, also known as Mdecins Sans Frontires, or MSF, called the rising deaths at sea "as a humanitarian failure on their watch."

UNICEF estimates that at least 200 children have died trying to cross the Mediterranean into Italy this year.

"This is their [G7's] moment to show true leadership in adopting a concrete policy plan that will help keep refugee and migrant children safe," Justin Forsyth, UNICEF deputy executive director said in a statement.

In 2015, the number of migrants entering or attempting to enter Europe exploded in the largest migration since World War II. The unprecedented surge brought more than a million migrants and refugees into Europe that year.

A deadly record was set in 2016 as at least 3,800 migrants died in the Mediterranean.

After the deal went into effect, arrivals to Greece plummeted in 2016 while arrivals to Italy increased.

This year, Italy made a deal to bolster Libya's coast guard so it could spot departing migrant boats and also house migrants attempting to cross.

Doctors Without Borders has been critical of both the EU-Turkey and Italy-Libya deals, slamming them as "outsourcing migration management to -- often unsafe -- third countries."

Migrants arriving by sea this year has not been at the same level as that in 2015. Two years ago by May, 91,441 refugees and migrants had arrived to Europe by sea.

So far this year, 60,199 sea arrivals have been recorded, according to UNHCR data.

CNN's Milena Veselinovic contributed to this report.

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Migrant crisis unfolding at sea looms over G-7 summit - CNN