Prague, Jan 12 (CTK) – The refugee crisis is actually the first issue on which Central Europe, including Prague, differs from Germany and the EU mainstream, and its uncertainty has increased in consequence of the New Year’s Eve sexual scandal in Cologne, Martin Ehl writes in Hospodarske noviny (HN) yesterday.
The scandal involving immigrants’ sexual attacks on German women is a “marvellous present” to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico ahead of the March general election. It plays into the hands of Fico’s plan to make Slovaks believe that he and his Smer-Social Democrats are the only ones who can protect the country against the danger of migrants, Ehl writes.
“Not even on a voluntary basis will we make any decision that would lead to a possible creation of a strong Muslim community in Slovakia,” Fico told reporters after it turned out that the suspects in Cologne include dozens of asylum applicants, Ehl writes.
In the meantime, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called on the EU to build a fence along the northern border of Greece, similar to the one Hungary has built along its southern border, Ehl writes.
Polish politicians, for their part, directly rebuked their German colleagues for German media having kept silent about the sexual attacks. As if the German Chancellor’s Office could influence what public or private media write, Ehl says.
Germany is pondering on whether the Cologne scandal means a turning point in the domestic refugee debate, while Central European post-communist countries know for sure that the scandal has made it far more difficult, if not impossible, to defend the acceptance of refugees from different cultures and an accommodating approach to them, Ehl writes.
Fico has clearly said Slovakia will neither receive refugees nor pay any humanitarian aid. It has only provided a new special police unit to help protect the Schengen border, Ehl writes.
Hungary wants to seal the border and the Polish conservative government is considering ways to abandon its predecessor’s vow that Poland will accept 7,000 refugees within the EU relocation quotas, Ehl writes.
The Czech Republic does not show an accommodating mood either, he says.
In the spring, further hundreds of thousands or even millions of refugees will be heading for Europe. The Germans will not welcome them as warmly as until now. Central European politicians will say they had warned against such developments, Ehl writes.
As a result, Central Europe will divert from the EU mainstream, which will come under pressure due to the change of mood in Germany, Ehl continues.
Central Europeans always followed the European policy of Germany, irrespective of whether they admit to it or not. It is only the migrant issue on which their view differs. Many Western political analysts interpret this different view as ungratefulness of the ex-communist countries that were previously admitted to the EU and that spoil its morals now, Ehl writes.
The confidence in Germany as the European authority has been shaken in consequence of the refugee crisis and the Cologne scandal as its hitherto peak. Central Europe, which previously relied on Berlin as an example to follow, feels uncertain now and seeks models that are well-known from the past, such as nationalism and mistrust of everything foreign, Ehl concludes.
rtj/t/ms
