Friday, January 8th, 2021
In freezing cold in tents
SPD demands admission of refugees from Bosnia
By Philip Scupin
2500 people live on the EU's external border in freezing cold. SPD leader Esken is now putting pressure on Interior Minister Seehofer at ntv. That should cause trouble in the federal government.
The grand coalition is threatened with another dispute over migration. SPD leader Saskia Esken called for the admission of refugees who are staying in Bosnia under desolate conditions. "We have a great willingness from the municipalities. We have to take this gesture seriously and actually make an offer now," said Esken at ntv. "As Germany, we have a special responsibility in the European Union because we are particularly efficient."
You have to talk to local authorities and federal states about the possible number of recordings, says Esken. It is the job of Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to coordinate this nationwide.
Seehofer and the Union are unlikely to go down well with the move. According to its own statements, the Federal Ministry of the Interior is currently not planning to accept people from Bosnia. Union parliamentary group Vice Thorsten Frei and CDU chairman Friedrich Merz had also spoken out against it. However, many municipalities and federal states in Germany are ready to accept refugees.
Up to 2,500 migrants currently live near the Bosnian-Croatian border, including from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Iraq. They had previously been housed in the former Lipa military camp, which burned down shortly before Christmas. They should then be taken to reception centers in other parts of Bosnia. The residents there resisted and prevented the resettlement. Now the migrants live in makeshift tents or in the open air in freezing cold.
SPD leader Esken emphasized that the first goal must be for Bosnia to improve the housing of the people. It is the responsibility of the EU Commission to ensure that the European aid funds are used correctly. Bosnia is a candidate for EU membership.
Esken called on Seehofer to ensure that the promised contingents from the Greek island of Lesbos are taken up more quickly. "Minister Seehofer now has to step up a gear." So far, of 1,500 refugees from the burned down Moria camp, only 300 have arrived in Germany. "That is terrifying. And it is getting colder in Greece," said the SPD chairwoman.
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