Italy has started issuing short-term Schengen visas to illegal refugees from North Africa
Justifying this scandalous decision, taken against the opinion of other EU states, the Italians claim that they have not received the promised solidarity from Brussels in housing refugees, and that their own resources are clearly insufficient.
The first visas were issued to hundreds of Tunisian citizens who have been at the Italian-French border near the small resort town of Ventimiglia for several days. From this cozy Mediterranean spot, the refugees are trying to reach the coveted territory of France by train.
In response, France halted rail service between Ventimiglia and the French department of Alpes-Maritimes. The Tunisian refugees in resort Ventimiglia, supported by activists from Western European human rights organizations, even seized the city's train station, demanding the resumption of train service. However, Paris stands firm: only those refugees who, in addition to presenting a passport with a visa, prove they have the necessary financial means to stay in the country will be allowed into France. This means a sum of 30–60 euros per day for the entire period of "tourist stay."
French Interior Minister Claude Guéant has already emphasized that Paris adheres "to the last comma" to the rules of the Schengen Agreement, which grants the right of free movement within the country only to persons with valid identity documents. He also stated that African refugees would inevitably be deported back to Italy if they cannot prove their financial solvency.
As a result, relations between France and Italy have become extremely strained. Paris is outraged that official Rome is grossly violating the Schengen Agreement by issuing visas without sufficient grounds. The European Commission even had to intervene in the dispute. Euro-officials unequivocally sided with the French, considering that Paris's decision to suspend rail service "was dictated by public order interests." As EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström noted, it is "a temporary suspension of rail traffic, and the French acted within the legal framework."
Concern over the situation with African refugees is also growing in the Federal Republic. Thus, the chairman of the Bundestag's Committee on Internal Affairs, Wolfgang Bosbach, warned against accepting uncontrolled immigration to Europe in connection with the situation on Lampedusa. "If a clear signal is sent that those who reach Lampedusa can stay in Europe, the influx of refugees will only increase," the Christian Democrat is convinced.
The politician acknowledged that the Italians are facing a serious problem. According to him, out of nearly 30,000 illegal immigrants who arrived in Italy this year, only a tenth applied for refugee status, and about half of them have already moved elsewhere. "We must help those who seek protection from war or political persecution here, but we cannot take on the humanitarian obligations of other countries," Bosbach believes.
Meanwhile, as reported by "Russkaya Germaniya", last Tuesday the number of illegal refugees gathered in the town of Ventimiglia, to the horror of the local administration, had already exceeded several thousand people.