Prague, Jan 21 (CTK) – Refugees are no organised army and the current migration wave can only be dealt with by EU cooperation, not by any isolated steps, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) said in a debate in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday.
Sobotka said he was against the proposals that the Czech Republic should leave the EU or that it should be fenced.
Easy recipes to cope with the migrant crisis would not work, Sobotka said.
The immigration policy must have its rules and limits, he added.
“In my view, Europe must help the people fleeing war and their oppressors, but it cannot do so at the cost of being threatened itself,” Sobotka said.
He said he was in favour of strengthening the outer Schengen border, the formation of well-working hotspots, a functining readmission policy and collaboration with the countries neighbouring with the EU, especially with Turkey.
A permanent mechanism for the redistribution of refugees is no solution either, Sobotka.
The fact that a uniform European solution is still not in place is threatening the Schengen area, Sobotka said.
The opposition TOP 09 has presented its attitude to the migrant crisis.
“From our viewpoint, it is vital to find a pragmatic and rational solution that will not affect the right to travel, work and export goods within the Schengen area,” TOP 09 deputy chairman Marek Zenisek told journalists.
Europe must insist on the observance of laws and rules, another TOP 09 deputy chairperson, Helena Langsadlova, said.
“Those not observing our laws, who do not accept our values and habits cannot stay in Europe,” Langsadlova said.
TOP 09 spoke about the establishment of a European coast and board guard with the relevant capacity, the formation of hotspots and detention facilities, the formation of asylum centers outside Europe, the struggle against people traffickers, a European humanitarian and return agency and the determination of safe countries.
