Immigration emerges as a dominant issue on the pre-election agenda of all political forces.
The recent increased flows of immigrants, along with the crisis in the broader Middle East region, as well as the attempt to exploit the issue by the far right, place immigration at the centre of discussion for all political forces.
The adoption of the new immigration policy in Brussels the day before yesterday rekindled the debate in the political scene.
The European Parliament’s ratification of the reform of the European Union’s policy on migration and asylum was first welcomed by DISY, highlighting the role of the European People’s Party.
These were vigorously advocated for through the European People’s Party, which spearheaded and endorsed this specific reform.
“We will continue to advocate for additional policies and even more solidarity,” states the announcement by DISY, adding that “unfortunately, the European left and the extreme eurosceptics have once again shown their negative face at another step forward. With their stance, they essentially choose to maintain the current chaotic situation from which Cyprus suffers the most,” it notes.
AKEL states that it opposed the Pact because the Pact maintains the fundamental principle of the Dublin System, which designates the first member state of arrival in the EU as the responsible state for each applicant, “thus perpetuating the entrapment of refugees and migrants in frontline countries like Cyprus. It does provide for resettlement but for specific categories of vulnerable persons and on a voluntary basis”.
“It fails to introduce what we have been demanding in Europe and in Cyprus for years: the establishment of a distribution and hosting system for refugees in all Union member states according to their population and capabilities,” it supports.
ELAM submitted two bills yesterday.
“The purpose of the first bill is to reduce the deadlines for appeals against decisions of the Asylum Service and the Refugee Review Authority from 30 days to 15, and for specific decisions or decrees from 15 to 7 days.”
Regarding the second bill, it states that its purpose is to provide the Cabinet the possibility to issue an order suspending asylum application reviews, “in cases of extremely urgent and unforeseen threats to the country’s security.”
EDEK, on its part, in response to the death of an undocumented resident in Cyprus, states that illegal and undeclared work must be crushed and punished severely.
It notes that the fight against illegal and undeclared work is imperative, with intensified checks and strict penalties for employers who break the law and intensified checks and drastic intervention by authorities in cases where illegal foreign compatriots live in large numbers together, especially in unsuitable accommodations.
The President of DIPA, Marios Garoyan, who was a guest on the midday show of ALPHA, mentioned that he was informed following a telephone conversation with President Christodoulides about the visit to Lebanon, emphasizing that “the President touched upon the issue in all its dimensions and had prior consultation with the European Commission. The issue of further economic support to Lebanon is being discussed, given that it will assume more responsibilities regarding migrant flows.”
At the same time, he reiterated that “immigration is not offered as a battleground for political forces.”
The Greens, in their announcement, characterize the new Migration and Asylum Pact as inadequate and ineffective.
“We believe that, overall, the new pact is considered inferior to the circumstances,” they state, adding that on one hand, it allows for the violation of the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers, while on the other hand, it shows unwarranted tolerance towards governments expressing extreme indifference.”
