EUropa.S. 2016 nd
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22 – 25 of April 2016 | University of Piraeus Organized by Institute of Research & Training on European Affairs
EUropa.S. 2016 European Council
Study Guide TOPIC: "Facing the challenges of the Refugee flows within EU borders, in light of the Syrian crisis and ISIS issue."
EUropa.S. 2016 European Council Study Guide
Table of Contents 1. Greeting of the Board ................................................................................................................................ 2 2. The European Council............................................................................................................................... 3 3. Introduction of the Topic ........................................................................................................................ 4 4. Timeline of Events regarding the Refugee Flow ............................................................................ 6 5. Current Situation of the Refugee Issue and Europe’s actions .................................................. 9 6. The Crisis in Syria and its Escalations ..............................................................................................13 6.1 Syrian Crisis – Fast Facts.....................................................................................................................16 6.2 Reasons that help the growth of the Refugee Flow .................................................................16 6.3 Paris Attack, November 13th, 2015 .................................................................................................17 6.4 France: The Step towards Solidarity ..............................................................................................20 6.5 The Lisbon Treaty, Article 42,7 ........................................................................................................21 7. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................22 8. Glossary ........................................................................................................................................................23 10. Bibliography.............................................................................................................................................25 10. 1 Further reading ...................................................................................................................................25
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1. Greeting of the Board We would like to warmly welcome you all to the European Council of EUropa.S. 2016, our European Council. This year’s topic is about to face an occurrence of great importance which is the flow of the refugees in Europe under the scope of the Syrian Crisis and the rising of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL/DA’ESH) which makes the refugees search and find new places to migrate with no violence, healthcare, education systems, proper infrastructures and, in general, a better quality of life. We are about to discuss on treaties and legislations, proper measures and solutions, negotiating for three days in order to submit our innovative proposals. We are already sharpening our swords because the European Council of EUropa.S. 2016 is going to be legendary! Can’t wait to meet you all, at our very first meeting of the Heads of States and Governments. Kind Regards, The Board of the European Council
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2. The European Council The European Council decides the EU's overall political direction and priorities. It is not one of the EU's legislative institutions, so does not treat or espouse EU laws. Instead it sets the EU's policy agenda, traditionally by espousing 'conclusions' during European Council meetings which identify issues of concern and actions to take. At the European Council the 28 Members States are taking part with their Head of State or Head of Government. While the European Council has no authoritative legislative sway, it is a strategic (and crisis-unhooking) body that provides the European Union with a general political path and the all priorities needed, and acts as a collective presidency. The European Commission remains the only initiator of enactment, but the European Council is able to provide a boost to guide legislative tactics. The European Council most of the times, takes its decisions by consensus. However, in certain specific situations outlined in the EU treaties, it might decide by unanimity or by qualified majority voting procedure. During the voting procedure, neither the European Council President nor the Commission President take part.
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3. Introduction of the Topic The agenda of this European Council’s session can be described as extremely current and topical, as it concerns “Facing the challenges of the Refugee flows within EU borders, in light of the Syrian crisis and ISIS issue.” The words fall short while introducing this topic mainly because of the recent events in Paris and the terrorist attack at the French capital. Nevertheless, the topic is specified on the refugee flows and the challenges stemming from them which need to be tackled by the European Union. Firstly, it is important for every Head of State to acknowledge the fact that in Syria, there are two “ongoing wars” at once and that both of them cause the humongous refugee flow towards the neighboring countries and towards Europe, reaching 2,5 million people1. On the one hand, there is the civil war, which, influenced by the Arab Spring, caused the division between the Assad regime and the Syrian National Coalition, in other words the rebel forces who wish to establish democracy, rather than be under the dictatorship of Assad. On the other hand, there is the holy war which is going on for decades on the Persian Gulf, but also plays a vital role in the Syrian crisis.2 Both Saudi Arabia and Iran try to accumulate power within their Islamic rule, as Saudi Arabia is ruled by Sunni Islamic law and Iran by Shia Islamic law, making Syria, a place where those two laws are combined, a true battlefield. The Assad regime supports the Shia Muslims, as he is part of the Alawite sect whereas parts of the rebels want to expand their caliphate, which means a state ruled by hard-line Sunni law. Consequently, both countries finance their allies and the solution of the crisis is far to be met. However, it needs to be stressed out that both those two elements can be translated as one conflict with different perspectives, leaving it up to the interpretation of each person. Having analyzed the minimum of the events that have caused the Syrian crisis, it is once more compulsory to stress out the self-explanatory, that Syrian civilians who stand neutral between the two parties in their country, seek refuge outside of Syria, in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and even Europe. The fact that around 750.000 refugees have already passed the EU borders has raised concerns among the European community as to the way this refugee crisis needs to be
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REUTERS. (2015) October's migrant, refugee flow to Europe roughly matched whole of 2014. [Online] Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-unidUSKCN0SR15P20151102#tH6L0XTIjEIJjM7X.97 2NY TIMES. (2015) Who is fighting whom in Syria. [Online] Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/middleeast/the-syria-conflicts-overlappingagendas-and-competing-visions.html?_r=5
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addressed3. Meanwhile, the recent events of the ISIS terrorist attack need to be taken into consideration during the sessions, as they are directly linked to the extremist group rioting in Syria and are now turning into an international danger to the peace and stability not only for the Arab countries but also for the western civilization and specifically Europe. Finally, it is significant to underline that this study guide is current to the extent of the day is released and that the Head of States are strongly recommended to keep track of the news and the evolution of the Syrian refugee crisis.
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TELEGRAPH. (2015) Minister calls for EU limit on refugee numbers as over 950,000 arrive in Germany [Online] Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/12019052/Minister-calls-forEU-limit-on-refugee-numbers-as-over-950000-arrive-in-Germany.html
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4. Timeline of Events regarding the Refugee Flow4 March 2011- The protests against the regime (widely known as the Arab Spring) in Syria end in violent crackdowns by the government which lead to a series of rioting and suppressing by the Syrian Army throughout the country April 2011-end of 2012- The refugee flow starts within one month after the revolutionary acts; around 500,000 refugees have fled towards Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and the Kurdish parts of Turkey to seek shelter; these Arab countries make extreme efforts to host and facilitate the refugee flow by building refugee camps and providing humanitarian aid July 2012- As the civil crisis deepens, 250.000 more Syrians decide to flee towards Turkey, as an escape from the Aleppo city which faces war; meanwhile Greece enforces more control on its borders with the fear of a sudden refugee influx Winter of 2013- The weather conditions which faces, not only Syria but also the neighboring countries hosting the refugees are escalating worse and consequently humanitarian agencies are deterred from delivering their help January 2013- March of 2014- Syrian children become the main focus of UN’s and Europe’s awareness campaigns as the amount of children refugees comes up to one million, the half of the total Syrian people who have fled September 2013- Germany launches the first plan to resettle 5.000 Syrian refugees September the 20th 2013- Sweden as a EU member state decides to offer full asylum to all asylum seekers from Syria and to grant them permanent stay within the country October 2013- As the influx of Syrians in Turkey rises, Turkish government decides to build a two meter wall on the line of Turkish-Syrian borders, an action that causes many demonstrations; Meanwhile, UNHCR and the European Refugee High Commissioner encourage other countries to resettle and admit refugees in their lands with the aim to be admitted 30.000 by the end of 2014 January 2014- United Kingdom decides to admit refugees and provide them first aid and shelter February 2014- UNICEF reports that around 10.000 children of Syria are under the threat of malnutrition, while 1800 are at risk of death March 2014- A new released report from UNICEF states the inevitable; around 1.2 million Syrian children live as refugees, abstaining from school for months, even years and form, the so called “lost generation” June 2014- Islamic State takes over the Iraqi city of Mosul and 500.000 people are forced to flee; during June, ISIS declares” Caliphate” in Syria and Iraq, 4
Timeline [Online] Available from: http://syrianrefugees.eu/?page_id=163
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which leads to a 1.2 million people influx from Iraq to other countries of Middle East July 2014- ‘Europe should resettle more than the present 110.000 refugees’ is the ground argument of the EU Home Affairs Minister August 2014- ISIS takes control over the biggest part of Syria and in the light of this event, Obama launches air strikes against the ISIS occupied region 7 December 2014- The European Parliament adopts resolution 2014/2907(RSP) on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration.5
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Original Text [Online] Available from: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+MOTION+B8-20140362+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN
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5. Current Situation of the Refugee Issue and Europe’s actions The year of 2015 has been the quintessential year of the Syrian crisis, both inside and outside of Syria, both inside and on the borders of Europe. As far as Syria is concerned, the country remains in deep war and humanitarian crisis and the numbers of refugees reach 11 million, which leads to say that half the population of the country is fugitive6. But the numbers concerning Europe are not unequally shocking. Only in 2015 around 530,000 refugees have crossed the Mediterranean Sea, with Greece obtaining the first place of entries of refugees by the sea, mainly because of the Greek-Turkish sea borders. It must be mentioned though, that due to weather conditions or the lacking conditions of transferring 3,000 people were reported dead or missing throughout 2015. It is extremely important to go through the actions taken and the decisions met by the European Union throughout this significant year. Starting off with an informal meeting of the EU leaders on the 12th of February 2015, subjects as terrorism and internal security were addressed and the discussions contained three points, the establishment of the security of European citizens, the prevention of radicalization and the maintenance of European values as well as the cooperation with international allies such as UN and the World AntiTerrorism Forum. On the 23rd of April 2015, following the tragedy that occurred in Mediterranean Sea with many refugees drown due to a shipwreck, a special meeting of the European Council was arranged which decided to take immediate action in four fields of priority, mainly dealing with the illegal traffickers and to enforce EU’s stand in the sea borders. The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, addressed the European Council, saying ‘the lack of a truly European asylum and migration policy is now turning the Mediterranean into a graveyard’. In this way, the leaders decided to remain actively seized on the matter until the next session of the Council, on the 25th26th of June 2015. On the 11th May 2015 the UN Security Council meets to consider the situation in the Mediterranean. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, assures the Security Council that 'no refugees or migrants intercepted at sea will be sent back against their will. Their rights under Geneva conventions will be fully honored'. Later, on the 25th of June the EU leaders proposed solutions to the incoming flow of refugees, with special focus on their relocation from Italy and Greece to other member states. The plan of relocation included a number of 60.000 refugees. Nevertheless, for those who seeked asylum without having right to do so, the Council decided to have them return. It is of outmost importance the informal meeting of the EU Council on the 23rd of September 2015, as the Head of States had discussions 6
Percentages coming from recent UNHCR published study [Online] Available from http://www.unhcr-northerneurope.org
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which included the whole EU perspective of the refugee crisis. After the unprecedented amounts of refugees that fled towards Europe during the summer of 2015, the leaders joined in order to agree upon certain priorities. Those priorities were specially to help the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan to meet the refugee crisis, to finance with 1 extra billion euros the UNHCR and its work, to collaborate with Turkey at all levels, to intensify the controls of the external EU borders and to help the border line countries of Europe create welcoming spots of the refugees. For that reason, they passed the Council Decision (EU) 2015/1601 of 22 September 2015 “establishing provisional measures in the area of international protection for the benefit of Italy and Greece”. In line with what was discussed during the informal meeting of the EU HOS, leaders representing Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia met in Brussels on the 25th of September to negotiate and collaborate together to take measures in order to tackle the refugee crisis in their region. All those countries can be mentioned as Western Balkans, and as such, they are the first regions to admit refugees in large amounts. Bearing in mind the fact that the relocation program is running slowly, the refugees in those areas accumulate and as a result the EU needs to focus on them. Therefore, in that particular meeting the leaders agreed on a 17-point plan of action that is supposed to relieve their areas. Again, on the 15th and 16th of October 2015 the hot topic of EU Council’s agenda was the refugee crisis and how to cooperate with the countries of origin of the refugees as well as with Turkey. One of the main concerns of the session was the force of the Dublin regulation as far as the relocation is addressed. All in all, the Council also discussed the war situation in Syria and underlined their official position, that violence and conflict need to come to an end by a political solution, in total accordance with the United Nations. In the latest informal meeting of the Head of States, the 12th of November, they agreed upon strengthening the external borders while at the same time registering every refugee that comes within the European Union. Furthermore, the leaders stressed out the importance of a cooperation with Turkey and a suggestion for a EU Summit with Turkey was brought on the table. According to the latest news, the Summit of 29th November 2015 ended up with European Union granting three billion euros so as to finance the immigration of over one million refugees in its country, while at the same time EU promised to revise the Chapters for the accession of Turkey in the European Union. Next meeting of the European Council is arranged on the 17th-18th December of 2015 and the topics of the agenda already include the issue of migration. All in all, it is evident that the European Union and all of the consisting Institutions form a unique role in shaping the migration policy. Under the scope of the recent decisions of EU Council, it is clear that issues like the cooperation EUropa.S. 2016, 22nd – 25th April, Athens, Greece europas.irtea@gmail.com / www.europas.irtea.gr 10
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with Turkey, the monitoring of the borders, the criminalization of smuggling and the relocation plan are considered as the first priority of the Council and the Head of States, but as the migration crisis escalates, more and more measures need to be taken. It is therefore strongly recommended to further research the proposals and negotiations of all EU Constitutions and to apprehend the complexity of the Syrian crisis, in order to achieve feasible solutions.7
6. Syrian crisis’ influence on Europe At the moment and while 2015 comes to an end, Europe and its people are suffering from two different factors, the arousal of the terrorism within the EU and tackling the relocation of thousands of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, both of which are strongly correlating in the following way. Terrorism already existed from the time of the al- Qaeda organization in Europe and even after that, European Muslims continued to feel alienated from their country’s government and had never achieved a full integration.8 As stated before, many European citizens, regardless if Muslims or not, choose to become foreign fighters and travel to Syria in order to be trained and recruited. These latter ones affect gravely the fame and the stability of European Union, as it has not come up with a solution to prevent these actions and to combat the radical preachers who act inside the European community and condemn the European ideals. Given the last example of terrorist attack, it seems as if the planning of the attack and its conduct were carried out not only by European Muslims, but also by Syrian fighters who used the refugee path to travel through Europe and reach their final destination. This leads to the second factor which causes instability and discomfort among the European Member States, which is the possibility of immigrants transmitting as undercover terrorists. Especially after the Paris Attack, every European leader is alarmed by the incident and is carefully going through his/her agenda as to what is coming next as far as the relocation and integration of the refugees is concerned. Many indicate the possibility of refraining from accepting further immigrants in the name of the threat of terrorism, while others are persisting their aim to accommodate and grant access to the refugees, fulfilling in this way their international responsibilities that come along the signature of the 1951 Timeline as presented in 2015 [Online] Available from http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/ 7
BROOKINGS (2015), Byman D., Do Syrian refugees pose a terrorism threat? [Online] Available from http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2015/10/27-syrian-refugees-terrorismthreat-byman 8
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Convention relating to “the Status of Refugees”9 , where the accurate definition of the term refugee can be found. Nevertheless, the majority of the EU leaders strongly suggest the continuation of the refugee operation while keeping in mind the excessive need to empower the external borders’ safety, controlling and monitoring systems in order to prevent future extremists to be admitted and relocated as refugees. Both Frontex and Intelligence Agencies cooperate to avoid such dreadful terrorist attacks, while the European Council is consulting every two months to promote progress on the refugee crisis. Despite that, those actions do not seem enough. In order for Europe to regain its peaceful image of a stable union, the nearly 1 million refugees need to be treated according to a long term plan. If the European Union decides to provide them first humanitarian aid without any further prosperity or even opportunity, they will never feel integrated, instead, they will be isolated and create further Muslim minorities, providing ground for possible extremist propaganda and hate towards the European governments. All in all, these are the two main focuses the EU needs to be taking into consideration, both the prevention of terrorism expansion as well as dealing sufficiently with the refugee crisis which will grow worse as the spring period comes and the weather conditions will not be as severe as now.
UNITED NATIONS (1951) Convention Relating to the Status of the Refugees, as found in: http://www.unhcr.org/3b66c2aa10.html 9
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6. The Crisis in Syria and its Escalations10 Pro-democracy protests started in March 2011 in the southern city of Deraa continuing by the capture and torture of a few teenagers who painted revolutionary slogans on a school wall. Moreover, afterwards security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing many of them. The unrest activated nationwide protests demanding President Assad's resignation. The government's use of force to stop the disagreement merely hardened the protesters' solution. By July 2011, thousands of them were taking to the streets across the country. Opposition followers eventually began to take up arms, first to defend their selves and later to diminish security forces from their local areas. Violence increased and the country descended into civil war as rebel brigades were formed to battle government forces for control of cities, towns and the countryside. Fighting reached the capital Damascus and second city of Aleppo in 2012. By June 2013, the UN said 90,000 people had been killed in the conflict. However, by August 2014 that figure had more than doubled to 191,000 - and continued to climb to 250,000 by August 2015, according to activists and the UN. The conflict is now more than just a battle between those for or against President Assad. It has acquired sectarian overtones, pitching the country's Sunni majority against the president's Shia Alawite sect, and drawn in neighboring countries and world powers. The rise of the jihadist groups, including Islamic State, has added a further dimension.
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BBC NEWS (2015), Syria: The story of the conflict [Online] Available from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868
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Moreover, the Islamic State has also been impeached for using chemical weapons of their own production, which might include the blistering agent Sulphur mustard, to fight Kurdish forces and civilians in northern Syria. Over four million people left Syria from the beginning of the conflict, most of them women and children. It is one of the most increased refugee flow in recent history. Neighboring countries have borne the burden of the refugee crisis, with some of the European countries, especially Italy, Greece and Hungary, making their best to accommodate the flood of new arrivals. The flow accelerated in its highest level in 2013, as conditions in Syria deteriorated. Additionally, 7.6 million Syrians have been internally moved within the country, raising the total number forced to flee their houses to more than 11 million - half the country's population before the crisis. Overall, approximately 12.2 million are in total need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, among them 5.6 million children. In December 2014, 7,9 billion euros were granted to provide help to 18 million Syrians, after fortifying about half the funding asked for in 2014. A year later, it was less than half funded. A report published in March 2015 estimated the total financial loss since the start of the conflict was 189 billion euros and that four out of five Syrians were now living in poverty - 30% of them in seedy poverty. Syria's education, health and social welfare systems are also in a state of wretched. EUropa.S. 2016, 22nd – 25th April, Athens, Greece europas.irtea@gmail.com / www.europas.irtea.gr 14
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The armed conflict has evolved significantly since its beginning. Islamists and jihadists brutal tactics have caused widespread anxiety and caused battles among the rebels. Capitalizing on the chaos in the location, Islamic State - the group that was made of al-Qaeda in Iraq - has taken control of enormous swathes of territory across northern and eastern Syria, as well as of the neighboring Iraq. Many foreign fighters in Syria are now part in a "war within a war", fighting against rebels and jihadists from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, who opposes to their tactics, as well as Kurdish and government forces. In September 2014, a coalition began air strikes inside Syria in an effort to reduce and ultimately destroy the Islamic State, assisting the Kurds repel a major assault on the northern town of Kobane. But the coalition avoided attacks that might assist Mr. Assad's forces or intervening in conflicts between them and the rebels.
Furthermore, in the political arena, opposition groups are also deeply separated, with alliances battling for supremacy. The most crucial is the establishment of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, backed by several Western and Gulf Arab states. However, the coalition has little influence on the ground in Syria and its primacy is rejected by other groups, letting the country without a permanent alternative to the Assad government. EUropa.S. 2016, 22nd – 25th April, Athens, Greece europas.irtea@gmail.com / www.europas.irtea.gr 15
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6.1 Syrian Crisis – Fast Facts 12 million Syrians left their homes because of the conflict; half of them are children.
4 million Syrians are refugees; many of them are in Europe.
Children affected by the Syrian conflict are at risk of getting ill, malnourished, abused, or exploited. Millions of them have been forced to abandon school.
More than 700,000 Syrian refugees and other migrants risked their lives this year trying to escape and travel to Europe.
6.2 Reasons that help the growth of the Refugee Flow11
Violence: Since the Syrian civil war erupted, more than 240,000 people have been killed, including 12,000 children. One million more have been permanently disabled. The war has become more deadly since foreign powers joined the conflict.
Collapsed infrastructure: Within Syria, healthcare, education systems, and other infrastructure have been destroyed; the economy is crushing down. An estimated 4.8 million people are in locations inside Syria that are difficult to access because of the conflict. It’s hard even for aid groups to reach them.
Children’s safety: Syrian children — the nation’s hope for a better future — have lost their loved ones, suffered from injuries, missed continuous years of 11
Facts as accumulated [Online] Available from http://www.worldvision.org
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schooling, and witnessed violence and brutality. Battling parties forcibly recruit children to serve as fighters, human shields, and in roles for support.
ISIS: most of the people in Syria and the rest of the world are afraid of the expansion of ISIS’s operations and the following actions. Among them developed and developing countries worldwide can be observed. The countries that have already face attacks by ISIS, inspired by ISIS or that led the authorities to arrest ISIS militants or supporters as perpetrators are: Australia, Algeria, Canada, United States of America, West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Morocco, Israel, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Malaysia and Kuwait from the International stage and France, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Denmark from the European territory.
6.3 Paris Attack, November 13th, 20151213 The last and major attack noted in Europe is the “November 13th Paris Attack” where a series of coordinated terrorist attacks observed in central Paris, France and its northern suburb, Saint-Denis, on the night of the 13th of November 2015. The perpetrators killed 130 people at the Bataclan theatre and took many hostages before engaging in a stand-off with the national police. Moreover, 368 people were injured, among them 80 to 99 very seriously and seven of the attackers also died, while the authorities continued to search for accomplices. Starting at 21:20 CET, three suicide bombers started near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafés, restaurants and a music venues in Paris. The ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that it was in reprisal for the French airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq. The President of France, François Hollande, supported that the aggressions were an act of war by ISIS, already planned in Syria, organized in Belgium, and perpetrated with French complicity.
BBC NEWS, 2015, Paris attacks: What happened on the night [Online] Available from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34818994 12
NY TIMES, 2015, Three Hours of Terror in Paris, Moment by Moment [Online] Available from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/13/world/europe/paris-shootingattacks.html?_r=1 13
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Answering, a state of emergency was preached and provisional border controls were inserted. On the 15th of November, France launched the biggest airstrike of the Chammal operation,. On the 18th of November, the suspected for leading of the attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a police invasion in Saint-Denis, along with two other members of the group. France is still on high alert since the attacks of November 2015. since the most victims were executed there since World War II and, in general, the most victims in the European Union since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. Moreover, the aggression prompted European officials to re-evaluate their stand on EU policy toward immigrants, especially in light of the ongoing European immigrant crisis. Many German officials believed an upper level of scrutiny was needed, and criticized the position of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while the German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel defended her position, saying that a lot of immigrants were fleeing due to terrorism. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve stated that he would be meeting with EU ministers on the 20th of November in Brussels in order to discuss how EUropa.S. 2016, 22nd – 25th April, Athens, Greece europas.irtea@gmail.com / www.europas.irtea.gr 18
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to deal with terrorism across the European Union. Meeting reports noted that Schengen area border controls have been tightened for all the EU citizens entering or leaving a country, with passport detailed checks and systematic screening contrary the biometric databases. This is based on a temporary measure because changing the rules on a long term basis could take months.14 Poland's European affairs minister Konrad Szymański stated that, in the wake of the aggression, he saw no possibility of instituting the recent EU refugee relocation scheme. The new Prime Minister of Poland, Beata Szydlo recognized that Poland is bound by international treaties, and said she would inquire the EU to change its decision on refugee quotas. Szydlo later stated that Poland would honor the commitment made by the previous government to feast 9000 refugees. Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, rejected the concept of peremptory resettlement quotas. Andrej Babiš, Czech deputy Prime Minister, recommended the closing of the Schengen border. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka stated that the attacks were a wake-up call for Europe. Sobotka also criticized president Milos Zeman for patronizing the anti-Islamic groups and the diffusion of the hatred, according to Reuters, whose report subjoins that the Sobotka government has been expelling migrants. Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, stated that he was proven right about the links between Middle East immigrants and the security issues.15
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TIME, 2015, How World Leaders Reacted to the Paris Terror Attacks [Online] Available from http://time.com/4112776/paris-attacks-reactions-rouhani-obama-xi-modi-trudeau-cameron/ CNBC, 2015, After Paris, is there a EU backlash against migrants? [Online] Available from http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/27/paris-attacks-turn-eu-leaders-against-migrants.html 15
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6.4 France: The Step towards Solidarity16 The Defence Minister of France Jean-Yves Le Drian questioned the rest EU states for assistance with its military operations abroad and support in its fight against ISIS. He invoked article 42,7 which states that: “If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with article 51 of the United Nations charter”17 His appeal came after bloodshed in Paris, the worst terror attacks on French soil. "France would like to ask its European partners for their bipartite assistance in the battle against Daesh in Iraq and Syria as well as enhanced military participation from member states in operational theatres where France is deployed,"
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THE GUARDIAN, 2015, France invokes EU's article 42.7, but what does it mean? [Online] Available from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/17/france-invokes-eu-article427-what-does-it-mean Article 42.7: An explainer delivered by European Council on Foreigner Relations [Online] Available from http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_article_427_an_explainer5019 17
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6.5 The Lisbon Treaty, Article 42,7 Article 42.7 is the so called mutual defence clause clause that declares that if one of the member states of the European Union is the victim of armed attacks on its soil other states have a commitment to provide aid and assistance by all the means in their power.18 It is not required from the members to take military action. Members that have been neuter, such as Ireland, Austria and Sweden, are not required to undermine this status. The article also states that it doesn't undermine commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which some, though not all, EU member states are also members of. It was originally included in the Treaty on the persistence of Greece, which wanted to have some kind of corporate defense protection outside of NATO because Turkey, its biggest military opposer, is also covered by NATO but is not a member of the European Union. The Lisbon Treaty also comprehend a solidarity clause, Article 222 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This article reports the European Union specifically whereas Article 42.7 activates the member states. By choosing Article 42.7, France has chosen a more inter-governmental access.
18
Original Text found [Online] Available from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12007L%2FTXT
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7. Conclusion Reaching the end of this study guide, it cannot be enough stressed out that both the refugee flows and the ISIS threat pose an imminent danger towards the peace and stability of the European Union and its Member States. Meanwhile, Europe cannot ignore the immense and unprecedented refugee flow, but based on its legislation and the Vienna Treaty, it must give shelter and even try to integrate the refugees coming from war and political conflicts. Due to the latest incident, meaning the Paris Attack, European Leaders appear more skeptical and have begun to take into consideration other measurements required to combat the ISIS threat. In order for the HoS to acknowledge the manner to handle the topic and to face the following challenges, they must apprehend how the refugee flow started (Timeline of Events regarding the refugee flow and The Crisis in Syria and its Escalation), what EU has achieved so far (Current Situation of the Refugee Issue and Europe’s actions), the reasons why refugee flows are growing (Reasons that help the growth of the Refugee Flow), how much is the European Union affected (Syrian crisis’ influence on Europe and the next steps) and the latest events of the Paris Attack as well as the reactions of European Leaders and especially of President Hollande. Last but not least, we encourage the Head of States to remain actively seized on the matter until the day of the Conference as it is more than definite that the issue will develop and that European countries will make progress on resolving it.
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8. Glossary Refugee: a person who has been forced to leave his/her country or home, due to a war or for political, religious or social reasons Refugee flow: the steady and continuous movement of refugees in one direction European Union Member States’ borders: the borders with the countries which are not members of the European Union. Such neighboring countries can be found in the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) which aims at the financial and humanitarian support of those countries. The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) is responsible for the attendance of the EU borders. Syrian crisis: The humanitarian crisis stemming from the Syrian Civil War, an international ongoing armed conflict in Syria which began in March of 2011, following the general concept of Arab Spring; this war has caused more than 11 million people to leave their home and seek refuge and about 4,1 million of them are officially registered as refugees. A high percentage of the refugees seeks for shelter in European Union which is causing hot debate among the European Union deciding institutions and requests for action to be taken. ISIS ( ISIL, Daesh): ISIS stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and is a militant group (organized militia) ruled by Sharia law. The aim of ISIS is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria. The group that is known to its followers as il-Dawla (“the State”) and its Arabic-speaking detractors as Daesh, the Arabic equivalent of the acronym ISIS, can trace its lineage to the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, in 2003. It wasn’t until the 2011 though, when sectarian violence was spread due to the civil war that ISIS gained power and ground. The ISIS group is mainly financed by oil extracts from wells in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, it is estimated that thirteen thousand foreign fighters joined Sunni Arab antigovernment extremist groups, including the Islamic State, in Syria, and 3,400 of more than twenty thousand foreign Sunni militants hailed from Western countries which explains why European countries are alarmed by the ISIS threat. Accordingly, the estimated forces of the organization
reach
up
to
100,000
militants.19
19Laub
Z., Masters J. The Islamic State (2015) [Online] Available from: http://www.cfr.org/iraq/islamic-state/p14811
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9. Questions Raised 1. How is the Schengen Treaty supposed to be held in force without violating the fundamental human rights of EU people? 2. Are the EU States able to host more refugees by building refugee camps and if so, to what extent? 3. Is European Union responsible for contributing to the Syrian crisis with special focus on the health care of the refugees? 4. Could the EU States enforce resettlement plans and have a joint policy towards the flow of the refugees? 5. How should the border countries such as Greece and Italy be financed to admit, give shelter and humanitarian aid to the refugees coming, given the fact that they face a severe economic recess? 6. Does EU have to be prepared for an upcoming and further influx of refugees, in case the Assad regime falls? 7. In the light of the recent Paris attack, how can the EU protect its citizens while combating the threat of the ISIS organization and its terrorist attacks? 8. How can the Dublin regulation be kept in force, and if not, how can it be altered? 9. Is it possible that the Member States collaborate to battle terrorism inside Europe? 10. At a European level, how can the smuggling and illegal trafficking of migrants be combated? 11. Is there a way to prevent the recruitment of foreign fighters coming from Europe in Syria?
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10. Bibliography
Byman D., Shapiro J., Be Afraid. Be A Little Afraid: The Threat of Terrorism from Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq (November 2014) Hinnebusch, Raymond (2012). "Syria: From 'Authoritarian Upgrading' to Revolution?" Lawson, Fred Haley, ed. (1 February 2010). Demystifying Syria The Robert Schuman Foundation [Accessed 5 May 2010] Understanding the Lisbon Treaty Van Dam, Nikolaos (15 July 2011). The Struggle for Power in Syria: Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba'ath Party Ziadeh, Radwan (2011). Power and Policy in Syria: Intelligence Services, Foreign Relations and Democracy in the Modern Middle East
10. 1 Further reading www.syrianrefugees.eu/ www.worldvision.org/news-stories-videos/syria-war-refugee-crisis www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/middleeast/the-syria-conflictsoverlapping-agendas-and-competing-visions.html?_r=5 www.mercycorps.org/articles/iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria-turkey/quick-factswhat-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14703995 www.syrianrefugees.eu/?page_id=163 www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/10/12-facconclusions-syria/ www.cfr.org/iraq/islamic-state/p14811 www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911 www.eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:JOL_2015_248_R_0014 EUropa.S. 2016, 22nd – 25th April, Athens, Greece europas.irtea@gmail.com / www.europas.irtea.gr 25
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www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-timeline-how-thecrisis-has-grown-10502690.html www.kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/focus-european-approaches-migrationmediterranean-timeline
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