Cyprus\u2019 initiative to reassess the safety of certain areas of Syria to block asylum application examination was met with scepticism by MEP Fabienne Keller, who characterised the endeavour as difficult due to Syria\u2019s unstable situation.
\nKeller, the rapporteur for the border returns procedure proposal, emphasised the challenges posed by Syria\u2019s authoritarian leadership and struggling economy, making it hard for returnees to find work.
\nAcknowledging Cyprus\u2019 plight as the EU country with the highest number of asylum applications per capita, even before the increased arrivals from Lebanon, Keller recognised the complex dynamics involving Turkey and the occupation of Cyprus in migrant transfers.
\nShe advocated for finding ways to support Cyprus, having witnessed the dire conditions at the Pournara Reception Centre first-hand.
\nMeanwhile, Tomas Tob\u00e9, the rapporteur for asylum and migration policy reform, urged EU member states to unite and address the migration crisis collectively. He emphasised the need for a common position on Syria, currently lacking, and suggested a reassessment of the situation, leaving the door open for potential solutions.
\nSpeaking at the \u2018European Elections 2024 for Innovative Media\u2019 seminar, both MEPs called for tangible solidarity from EU countries, each contributing their fair share to tackle the pressing migration challenges faced by frontline states like Cyprus.
\nNicosia last weekend announced it was\u00a0suspending\u00a0the processing of asylum applications\u00a0amid a sharp increase in the number of Syrians arriving in\u00a0Cyprus\u00a0from Lebanon. It wants its European Union partners to reconsider the\u00a0status\u00a0of Syria, now out of bounds for returns.
\nSuspending the examination of asylum requests means new arrivals will either have to stay in government reception camps with food and shelter and regulated exits, or live elsewhere and forfeit any right to a benefit.
\nCyprus\u00a0says the EU already has an assessment by its own asylum agency, the EUAA, that two governates in Syria \u2013 Damascus and Tartous \u2013 present no real risk to civilians of falling victim to indiscriminate violence.
\nThe\u00a0U.N. human rights office stated earlier this year\u00a0that based on evidence it has gathered, Syrian refugees who fled the ongoing Syrian civil war are facing gross human rights violations such as torture and abduction on their return to Syria, while women are subject to sexual harassment and violence.
\n(With information from Reuters)migration crisis. scepticism, asylum applications, migration crisis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cyprus is suspending the processing of asylum applications due to an increase in Syrian arrivals from Lebanon. The country wants EU partners to reassess the safety of certain areas in Syria to block asylum applications. MEP Fabienne Keller expressed scepticism, highlighting the challenges posed by Syria’s unstable situation and authoritarian leadership. Keller emphasized the need for support for Cyprus, as it faces a high number of asylum applications per capita. Meanwhile, MEP Tomas Tob\u00e9 called for EU member states to unite and address the migration crisis collectively, urging a common position on Syria. Cyprus wants EU partners to reconsider the status of Syria, as it believes certain areas are safe for returnees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6557,4433,1794,6490,6497,2134,5334,5732,5255,3,26,153,379,2347,3031,2404,1610,4382,415,115,3222,1823,412,148,2952,3443,821,2657,3542,406,4271,4593,4833,4692,1673,4671,531,1812,4054,1222,6903,2485,662,6386,5889,6001,1358,2471,4694,1019,114,2118,177,483,134,293,6305,1100],"class_list":["post-8636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-application","tag-arrivals","tag-asylum","tag-asylum-applications","tag-benefit","tag-challenges","tag-civilians","tag-conditions","tag-crisis","tag-cyprus","tag-economy","tag-elections","tag-eu","tag-eu-countries","tag-european-elections","tag-european-union","tag-evidence","tag-food","tag-government","tag-human-rights","tag-human-rights-violations","tag-increase","tag-lebanon","tag-local","tag-media","tag-member-states","tag-migration","tag-migration-crisis","tag-migration-policy","tag-nicosia","tag-occupation","tag-office","tag-policy","tag-pournara","tag-procedure","tag-proposal","tag-refugees","tag-rights","tag-risk","tag-safety","tag-scepticism","tag-seminar","tag-sexual-harassment","tag-situation","tag-solidarity","tag-struggling","tag-support","tag-syria","tag-syrian-refugees","tag-syrians","tag-top-news","tag-torture","tag-turkey","tag-violations","tag-violence","tag-war","tag-who","tag-women"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n