“We must force countries that refuse to welcome migrants to do so,” argues the head of the environmentalist list Marie Toussaint

The head of the Ecologists list, Marie Toussaint was a guest on “Demain l’Europe”, Friday April 5.

“We must force countries that refuse to welcome migrants to do so”, said the head of the Ecologists list in the European elections, guest of “Demain l’Europe” Friday April 5, on franceinfo. Condemning the current migration policy, the MEP proposes on the one hand “reform Dublin” imperatively, and on the other hand, announces that the Ecologists will vote against the migration pact which is put to the vote in the European Parliament.

She assures that Environmentalists are not satisfied with the migration policy pursued by the European Union for several years. According to her, the Dublin system, adopted in 2013 and which consists of returning migrants or asylum seekers to the first country where they were registered, does not work. This system delegates the processing of asylum applications to the southern EU countries where migrants arrive (Italy, Greece, Cyprus, etc.) and concentrates a good part of the migratory pressure there. “We need to reform Dublin to guarantee and force states to do their part,” she emphasizes. “Am I saying that France must take its share in a binding manner? Yes. Does that mean more people welcomed? Well, that remains to be seen”underlines the head of the environmentalist list.

“We are a thousand miles from the necessary solidarity”

The candidate also announced that her group was going to vote against the European pact on migration and asylum put to the vote in the European Parliament. This pact proposes a new, more flexible solidarity mechanism between member states. The relocation of asylum seekers is now done on a voluntary basis and countries have several options, ranging from relocation to a financial contribution through other solidarity measures such as the deployment of personnel in the countries of origin. arrivals or logistical assistance to other countries. “This text creates a large immigration market”she snaps.

“There is a choice of reception or financial compensation, we are a thousand miles from the necessary solidarity with the countries, in particular those in the south of Europe”assures the ecologist. “Nothing is really put on the table to respond to a major problem which is that of the disappearance of tens of thousands of people in the Mediterranean during the last decades”she continues. “I do not want a Europe that agrees to let so many people die on its borders. Europe is guilty of not providing assistance to humanity in danger in the Mediterranean and I no longer want that”affirms Marie Toussaint.

Conscious of “hardening of opinions about immigration”, Marie Toussaint defends the establishment of a “dignified welcome, guaranteeing a job” to asylum seekers. “If we managed to establish a dignified welcome by guaranteeing work, we would resolve some of the social problems and allow these people to return home if they wish.” she emphasizes. While Jordan Bardella’s list is at its highest according to various polls with 31% of voting intentions, Marie Toussaint, credited with 6%, castigates the “easier nationalist responses which claim that we will guarantee security with the wave of a magic wand”.