Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša warned on Twitter that the European Union would not open any European “humanitarian” or migrant corridors for Afghanistan. His statement angered the socialists across the EU Member States. However, when Janša asked them for a list of the Member States that are in favour of accepting a new migrant tsunami, everyone stayed quiet.
“The EU will not open any European “humanitarian” or migrant corridors for Afghanistan,” Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša wrote on Twitter on Sunday, the 22nd of August 2021. “We will not allow the strategic mistake from 2015 to be repeated. We will only help individuals who helped us during the NATO operation. And the EU Member States that are protecting our external border.”
Janša’s statement provoked the wrath of the European Socialists. The loudest response came from the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli. “It is not for the current presidency of the Council to say what the European Union will do. All our institutions are working to see what solidarity is needed for those who are at risk from the new regime, not just the Afghans who have worked with us,” Sassoli said in his statement.
Sassoli also invited Janša to discuss the matter with the European Institutions, so they can decide together what the next steps should be regarding the upcoming migrant tsunami from Afghanistan. “All of our countries feel involved in the situation unfolding in Afghanistan, and it’s clear that we need to show solidarity,” the President of the European Parliament added.
“Actually, it is up to the EU Member States to decide if they want to take on another wave of migration or not,” Prime Minister Janša responded to Sassoli’s statement. “Currently, there is neither consensus, nor a qualified majority, or any majority at all to do that. And we ARE showing solidarity to those who have worked with us.”
On Monday, the 23rd of August 2021, Prime Minister Janša continued with the conversation regarding the upcoming Afghan migrant tsunami. “You are not serious,” Janša wrote in response to the claims of the Italian MEP Brand Benifei, otherwise a member of the socialist PD party. Janša asked Benifei to list the EU Member States that would vote today to open a new migrant corridor for Afghanistan and then accept their proportional share of migrants into the country. At the time of writing this article, Benifei has not yet published a list of such countries in response to Janša.
Prime Minister Janša also responded to the reports of the Delo journalist Peter Žerjavič, who claimed that the President of the European Parliament Sassoli had made it clear to the Slovenian Prime Minister that “it is not the Presidency of the European Council that can talk about what the EU will do about humanitarian corridors from Afghanistan…”
“In reality, the opposite is true,” Janša warned. “It is up to the Member States to decide this, not the EU Parliament. There is no possibility of accepting a new wave of migrants; the vast majority of the EU Member States are against it. Even those with left-wing governments.” Slovenian Prime Minister also invited Žerjavič to provide a list of countries that would agree to a new migrant tsunami. “We are waiting for this list,” Janša added.
The leaders of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Greece and Slovenia are not in favour of accepting a new influx of migrants.
Ivan Šokić
