ATHENS: A Greek official on Tuesday criticized the outgoing European Commission for failing to forge a common policy to deport migrants, and she warned that war and climate change were increasing global displacement.
Sofia Voultepsi, a deputy minister for migration, said that a landmark European Union migration pact agreed upon earlier this year remained lacking in practical terms.
“We got the (agreement), but the basic piece is still missing: Returns,” Voultepsi told a conference near Athens. “We must have a common system for asylum, a common system for returns, and a common system for integration.”
Wars in the Middle East and Africa, combined with the effects of climate change, she said, would put Europe under continuous long-term pressure.
The new EU migration pact is due to take effect in mid-2026 following a new round of negotiations with the bloc’s 27 member states that are expected to last about a year.
Voultepsi expressed alarm at the growing number of refugees in Lebanon because of ongoing Israeli airstrikes targeting the militant group Hezbollah, and added: “Countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan ... are affected by both war and climate change, creating an ever-growing flow of migrants toward Europe.”
Greece is a major entry point for migrants into the European Union, with most crossing from Turkiye and Libya in unsafe boats.
The coast guard on Tuesday said that 81 migrants were rescued from a stranded vessel traveling from Turkiye to Italy.
The incident occurred on Sunday, and the rescue was carried out with the assistance of two merchant vessels. The rescued migrants, who were taken late Monday to the southern Greek port of Kalamata, told Greek authorities they had paid $8,500 each for the trip. Four of the passengers were arrested on smuggling charges.
Elsewhere in Europe, an Italian navy ship was expected to dock at an Albanian port with a first group of 16 migrants who were intercepted in international waters. Their asylum applications will be processed in Albania instead of in Italy, under a five-year agreement between the two countries.
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum. The new migration policy was presented at Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. If adopted, it would require approval from the parliament, where Tusk’s coalition government has a majority, and from conservative President Andrzej Duda.
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Greek official accuses EU of policy failure on migration as war and climate change fuel displacement
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Greek official accuses EU of policy failure on migration as war and climate change fuel displacement
- Sofia Voultepsi, a deputy minister for migration, said that a landmark European Union migration pact agreed upon earlier this year remained lacking in practical terms
- “We got the (agreement), but the basic piece is still missing: Returns”
North Korean leader Kim hails troops returning from Russia mission, state media says
- In a speech carried by KCNA, Kim praised officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army (KPA)
- Last month, Russia’s Defense Ministry said North Korean troops who helped Russia repel a major Ukrainian incursion into its western Kursk region
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for an army engineering unit that had returned home after carrying out duties in Russia, the North’s KCNA news agency reported on Saturday.
In a speech carried by KCNA, Kim praised officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) for “heroic” conduct and “mass heroism” in fulfilling orders issued by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea during a 120-day overseas deployment.
Video footage released by North Korea showed uniformed soldiers disembarking from an aircraft, Kim hugging a soldier seated in a wheelchair, and soldiers and officials gathered to welcome the troops.
KCNA said the unit had been dispatched in early August and carried out combat and engineering tasks in the Kursk region of Russia during Moscow’s war with Ukraine.
Last month, Russia’s Defense Ministry said North Korean troops who helped Russia repel a major Ukrainian incursion into its western Kursk region are now playing an important role in clearing the area of mines.
Under a mutual defense pact between the two countries, North Korea last year sent some 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russia in Kursk, and more than 6,000 were killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources.
Kim said nine soldiers were killed during the mission, describing their deaths as a “heartrending loss,” and announced that the regiment would be awarded the Order of Freedom and Independence. The nine fallen soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, along with other state honors, KCNA said.
The welcoming ceremony was held on Friday in Pyongyang and was attended by senior military officials, ruling party leaders, families of the soldiers and large crowds, according to the report.
In his speech, Kim said the regiment had cleared dangerous areas under combat conditions and demonstrated “absolute loyalty” to the party and the state. He also praised the political indoctrination, discipline and unity among the troops, calling their performance a model for the armed forces.
North Korea has been publicly honoring its troops who fought for Russia in the war in Ukraine. In August, Kim praised them in a meeting with officers involved in overseas operations, while state media earlier showed him draping coffins with the national flag in what appeared to be the repatriation of soldiers killed alongside Russian forces.
In a speech carried by KCNA, Kim praised officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) for “heroic” conduct and “mass heroism” in fulfilling orders issued by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea during a 120-day overseas deployment.
Video footage released by North Korea showed uniformed soldiers disembarking from an aircraft, Kim hugging a soldier seated in a wheelchair, and soldiers and officials gathered to welcome the troops.
KCNA said the unit had been dispatched in early August and carried out combat and engineering tasks in the Kursk region of Russia during Moscow’s war with Ukraine.
Last month, Russia’s Defense Ministry said North Korean troops who helped Russia repel a major Ukrainian incursion into its western Kursk region are now playing an important role in clearing the area of mines.
Under a mutual defense pact between the two countries, North Korea last year sent some 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russia in Kursk, and more than 6,000 were killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources.
Kim said nine soldiers were killed during the mission, describing their deaths as a “heartrending loss,” and announced that the regiment would be awarded the Order of Freedom and Independence. The nine fallen soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, along with other state honors, KCNA said.
The welcoming ceremony was held on Friday in Pyongyang and was attended by senior military officials, ruling party leaders, families of the soldiers and large crowds, according to the report.
In his speech, Kim said the regiment had cleared dangerous areas under combat conditions and demonstrated “absolute loyalty” to the party and the state. He also praised the political indoctrination, discipline and unity among the troops, calling their performance a model for the armed forces.
North Korea has been publicly honoring its troops who fought for Russia in the war in Ukraine. In August, Kim praised them in a meeting with officers involved in overseas operations, while state media earlier showed him draping coffins with the national flag in what appeared to be the repatriation of soldiers killed alongside Russian forces.
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