Italian MEPs claim compensation from Merkel for the migrant crisis

[Yilmaz 0]

In his interview with Bild Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Angelino Alfano said that Europe had abandoned Italy on the refugee crisis. Yet he refused to criticize the "open-door" policy, declared by Angela Merkel in 2015.

MEPs from Italy sitting on the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs put it more clearly and sharply in their open letter to the Chancellor of Germany.

The letter explicitly stated that Germany failed to honor the obligations it had assumed back in 2015 to provide additional finding for migrants and exceed the established quotas of accepting refugees. The MEPs have demanded that Germany pay financial compensation for it.

By opening the EU doors Merkel has not only made profuse promises aiming to involve the whole EU in this process, by hook or by crook, but also roped her own people in without any consultations with them. No one in Germany has ever heard they should host refugees in excess of the quotas let alone cover the expenses of neighboring countries.  

But these stories are not made up of nothing. As far back as a year ago, despaired of ever receiving the promised assistance from Germany, Italy demanded that the immigration policy be financed with Eurobonds. Merkel rejected the idea then. Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere only adds fuel to the flame. One day he accuses Italian authorities of sending migrants to the north, another day he blames them for deliberate human trafficking by sea. At the same time, human rights activists also put pressure on Italy demanding that its ports stay open and protesting against repatriation of the refugees, who failed to undergo the special control.

And so it should come as no surprise that Italian officials have started to resent it and openly blackmail Germany by threatening time and again to 'issue provisional permits for all arriving refugees enabling them to move freely within the EU'.

Now, that the European Court of Justice has rejected the 'open-door' policy, quite a few questions remain unanswered. For instance, there is one to Mrs. Merkel. Who in Germany is going to pay compensation to Italy, if the EU court finds its claims legal? And it would be quite interesting to ask the Germans whether they are happy with the leader who plays around with their EU neighbors and disgraces the entire nation? One unsuccessful PR stunt of Germany's Chancellor can cost millions of euros and lead to the breakup of the European Union.

 

 

[IAMX 3,055]

I'd say it's Italy's fault for not having a backbone. 

[Boiler 46,121]

Lots of blame togo around, not going to end very well.

 

Merkel will be lauded with other past German Chancellors.