On outsourcing morality – Der Spiegel (José Bautista, Monika Bolliger, Katrin Elger, Jan Friedmann, Frank Hornig, Steffen Lüdke, Ralf Neukirch):

‘In the early days of the Arab Spring, in January 2011, soldiers stormed the palace. Today, one is far more likely to see European politicians going in and out. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser: All of them have shown up in recent days to pay their respects to Tunisian President Kais Saied.’

(…)

‘The result is that a new European asylum policy is currently being developed between Tunis, Brussels, Rome and Berlin. The goal is to transform the EU into more of a fortress than it has ever been – into a destination so difficult to reach that it no longer makes sense to try.’

(…)

‘"You can observe on Kos what might soon become standard on other EU external borders," says lawyer and migration scholar Maximilian Pichl. "The Greek hotspot approach was a pilot project from the very beginning."’

(…)

‘In particular, those arriving from countries where fewer than 20 percent are granted asylum status will have to go through the proceedings at the border, according to the asylum compromise, though unaccompanied minors are excluded from that rule. Officials can, however, also apply the rule to Syrians and Afghans, for example, if they arrived via a safe third country like Turkey. Precisely that is already taking place in Greece.’

(…)

‘Theoretically, in other words, Greece could deny asylum to almost all migrants showing up on its shores. In practice, however, Turkey hasn’t been accepting deported migrants since 2020 – which has thrown a wrench in the works of the entire plan. To compensate, Athens has frequently turned to illegal pushbacks. Countless examples of violent, illegal deportations have been documented in recent years, either across the Evros (Maritsa) River separating Greece and Turkey, or at sea. Those who are still able to make it to Greece are generally allowed to continue their journey to Western Europe at some point.’

(…)

‘Europe has frequently negotiated with authoritarian leaders in recent years. In the deals struck with Morocco, Libya and Turkey, the refugees were key elements in the give-and-take of the negotiations – which is likely what will happen this time as well. Saied recently said that his country will never act as a border guard for other countries. In Rome and Brussels, the comment was received as a negotiating tactic. The haggling has begun.’

(…)

‘But is it really a good idea for Brussels to boost one autocrat after the other in its immediate neighborhood? A lack of political freedom and economic perspectives could, in the long run, drive even more Tunisians toward Europe.

Furthermore, the EU would be supporting a man who actually intensified the current refugee crisis in Italy. Just a couple of months ago, Saied held an incendiary, racist speech, leading to a huge number of attacks in Tunisia against refugees from sub-Saharan Africa. A number of migrants responded by climbing aboard boats and heading for Italy. Can the EU really be certain that Saied wouldn’t regularly engage in such antics as leverage to demand money from Brussels?’

(…)

‘ But many asylum-seekers feel that this is exactly what is happening. Nahla Osman, a lawyer in a town near Frankfurt called Rüsselsheim, was born in Germany, but her parents are from the Syrian city of Aleppo. Together with her brother, she has a legal practice specializing in migration law, with most of their clients being asylum-seekers from Syria. In contrast to Walch in Traunstein, she is already seeing the consequences of the planned asylum compromise. "People are extremely unsettled," she says. "I see it every day."
Things could soon grow uncomfortable for "Dublin cases" in Germany – those migrants who were already registered in other countries before arrival in the country. Deadlines for deporting such cases to other EU member states will be extended by several months under the new directive.’

(…)

‘Offering protection to refugees is one of the lessons from World War II. The responsibility that arises from Europe’s history hasn’t been completely rejected by the EU, but it is trying to outsource it to the degree possible. It is a trend that began many years ago, and the new asylum compromise will intensify it.
Liberal-minded countries like Germany and Portugal were able to push through at least a trace of solidarity. The compromise calls for 30,000 men, women and children to be distributed among EU member states in the future, in accordance with an established blueprint. After the compromise was agreed to, Johansson spoke of renewed trust in Europe.’

(…)
‘Indeed, some in Brussels are already considering establishing stricter rules for situations in which refugees are "instrumentalized" by countries like Belarus or Turkey. That would translate to even more people being affected by the rapid proceedings at the EU border. And yet another tightening of the screws.’

Read the article here.

Outsourcing moral responsibility, to countries without any moral responsibility.
You do the killing? We keep our hands clean.

Also, quick deportation is not a solution as most experts will tell you. Yes, a pushback is quick and mostly effective deportation. Drowning is even more effective, because many who have been deported will try again and the dead won’t.

We are back in 1938, Évian-Les-Bains: please, die in your own country.