Emmanuel Macron's ally Florent Boudié said the migrant crisis needs to be solved (Image: GETTY)
MIGRANTS will continue on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean until a joint solution to the refugee crisis is found, French lawmaker Florent Boudié said on Tuesday.
PUBLISHED: 20:50, Wed, Aug 15, 2018UPDATED: 20:59, Wed, Aug 15, 2018
European leaders remain divided over how to deal with migrants rescued at sea, and have struggled to find a solution to discourage them from boarding smuggler boats.
Mr Boudié, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist La République en Marche party, told France Info radio: “We need to find a collaborative solution [to the crisis]. Because without a common European solution, we will never have the capacity to manage migratory flows.
“Europe must set up a legitimate border police force and agree to work in tandem with countries of origin and transit countries. We also need to adopt a firmer stance on the question of asylum.
“Because if we are unable to differentiate between asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, then in 10 or 15 years’ time, the very concept of the right to asylum will be in great difficulty.
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“Letting our actions stem from our emotions will not help solve the problem at hand: how does Europe successfully manage these migratory flows? Europe remains divided over the Aquarius [rescue ship] because of Italy’s ideological stance on the issue, which is that immigration is a problem by nature.”
Five European countries on Tuesday agreed to take in some of the 141 migrants marooned on board the Aquarius rescue vessel since Friday after it was at given permission to dock in Malta, ending a fresh standoff over the humanitarian ship.
France and Spain both offered to take in 60 people, while Germany said it would take up to 50 and Portugal 30. Luxembourg is also part of the deal.
Thanking Malta for ending the stalemate, Mr Macron wrote on Twitter: “There is no alternative to cooperation”.
French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, for his part, told France Info that the accord had given Europe “some its honour back”.
He said: “The migration question cannot be solved by a divided Europe. It’s a problem that concerns everyone.”
The agreement is the fifth of its kind since June, when Italy’s decision to turn away the Aquarius and other rescue ships reignited an ongoing dispute over refugee quotas and put migration back on the bloc’s agenda.
Italian right-wing interior minister Matteo Salvini, for his part, remains indifferent to the Aquarius’ plight, saying on Saturday that the rescue boat would “never see an Italian port” again.
Members of the French right have echoed Mr Salvini’s thoughts.
Gilles Platret, a spokesperson for the conservative Les Républicains, party, said France’s decision to take in some of the Aquarius migrants would create a “suction effect” while Jordan Bardella, a spokesperson for the far-right Rassemblement national party, urged the Tunisian government to take responsibility for the stranded migrants.
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