EU leaves immigrants hanging

A TER (train) that links Nice to Ventimiglia, passing through Beaulieu-sur-mer © FloFlo

In 1995, the Schengen law abolished passport checks between certain European countries and in the process created the freedom to travel around the continent not seen since before World War I. However, the liberal border code has now become a double-edge sword to some of those within the zone.

The French authorities, for example, decided in mid-April to ignore the conditions of the Schengen law and enforce stricter border regulations. In recent months, French officials have stopped hundreds of Tunisian migrants from crossing into the Alpes-Maritime from Ventimiglia despite the fact that most are in possession of legal documents from the Italian government that legally allow them to circulate freely in the Schengen area.

In their defense, the French government have claimed that these migrants are not to be allowed to transit into its territories due to the uncertain nature of their situation (i.e. they could be economic immigrants as much as political asylum seekers).

While the French authorities remain hostile to the Maghreb migrants, associations such as Adoma (a charity network in Nice) are mobilising to help them yet they are increasingly finding that their task is more frequently curtailed by police checks.

In Paris, the Ministry of Interior has announced its intention to expel illegal migrants back to Tunisia and to send those granted a visa by the Italian authorities back to Italy.

This move is not likely, however, to have a huge affect on curtailing the immigration figure, as the migrants continue to try to transit into the land of their former colonial power and have the necessary Schengen papers given to them by France’s counterparts.

Faced with this messy situation on ground, the European Commission demanded yesterday that Rome and Paris clarify the issues at hand.

Within the next two weeks, the Italians must provide evidence that the six-month visas allocated to 20,000 Tunisians arriving in Italy, were given under careful consideration and not motivated by the decision to see them leave its territory as quickly as possible.

France, on the other hand, must prove the routine audits conducted in its territories are not breaching the rules of the treaty on border-free travel in the Schengen area.

Meanwhile, back in the immigration epicentre, Alpes-Maritimes border controllers continue to stop hundreds of ‘illegals’ every week and Tuesday morning it was announced that 72 immigrants were arrested in Nice whilst squatting in a residence owned by the Adoma organisation.

AA