'Europe cannot be the new home for millions of people in need' Helmut Kohl.

'Europe cannot be the new home for millions of people in need' Helmut Kohl. (Euractiv).

In the preface to the Hungarian edition of his book, “Out of Concern for Europe”, Helmut Kohl has written that the continent cannot become the new home for millions of people. EurActiv’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

In the lead up to his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Tuesday (19 April) former German chancellor Helmut Kohl has criticised the opening up of borders to refugees in Europe. “The solution lies in the affected regions. Not in Europe. Europe cannot be the new home for millions of people in need,” Kohl wrote in the preface to the Hungarian edition of his book, ”Out of concern for Europe”, which was published in an abbreviated form in Der Tagesspiegel on Sunday (17 April).

Kohl, one of only three people to be granted the status of Honorary Citizen of Europe, also criticised the refugee policy of Angela Merkel, without actually referring to her by name. The ex-chancellor voiced his disapproval of Merkel’s September 2015 decision to invite refugees from Hungary to continue their journey on to Germany. Kohl also criticised the fact that the current chancellor did not discuss the matter with her EU partners beforehand.

Additionally, Kohl went on to list Viktor Orbán, one of Merkel’s fiercest opponents when it comes to her so-called “open-door policy”, as “my friend”. On European questions, “I know that I agree with my friend Viktor Orbán”. On Tuesday, Kohl intends to welcome the Hungarian prime minister at his home.

Kohl believes that the refugee crisis is an “acid test” for the EU, adding that a “relapse into an old nation-state mentality” would “endanger our peace and our freedom”. The ex-chancellor urged the bloc, in addition to the humanitarian aspects, to bear in mind Europe’s “well-founded cultural and security interests”. Many refugees come “from different cultural backgrounds. They follow, to a great extent, faiths other than the Judeo-Christian faith, which is one of the foundations of our values ​​and society,” he added. Read the full story here.

Greek Euro-MP Demands to Investigate Buying Up of Syrian Refugees’ Property for cheap by Turks.

Greek Euro-MP Demands to Investigate the Buying Up of Syrian Refugees’ Property by Turks. (Southfront).

Turks are buying refugees’ property in Syria massively for trifling sums. “The situation requires an investigation”, said the deputy of the European Parliament from Greece Notis Marias in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Refugees from the Middle East often pay tens of thousands of euros to smugglers for reaching Europe. A few days ago the president of a flying club in the Greek town of Mesolongi was arrested for charging 30000 euro from seven refugees for transportation to Italy.

“There are families from different areas in Syria, who have money. They complained to me that Syrian citizens have to sell all properties and assets to raise money for escaping the war. They sell their homes, their estates, their lands and all of that are bought by Turks. Do you know about this?

The Turks buy this property in Syrian cities for trifling sums in order to obtain a right and opportunity to settle over there in the ensuing times. Now there is a massive buying up of real estate in the areas that border with Turkey. ” Marias said.

According to Marias, the Syrians are forced to sell properties to flee the country. Crime rings that are carrying refugees to Greece relish the opportunity at full breath to obtain the refugees’ property. “This requires the investigation. Property is seized and new places in Syria are occupied by the Turks”, – the Euro-MP said.


“When the situation in Syria calms down, there will be new owners, and many of them will be Turkish people or Syrian citizens of Turkish origin,” – added Marias.

Anyone who says Turkey is European country wants EU’s death – Sarkozy

Anyone who says Turkey is European country wants EU’s death – Sarkozy . (RT).

Ankara has no place in the European Union: Both historically and economically speaking, Turkey is less European a country than Russia, ex-president and head of France's main opposition party Nicolas Sarkozy stated in an exclusive interview with the iTele channel.

"Turkey is in Asia Minor. I'm sorry to say it, Turkey is a great country, a great civilization, but it is a bridge between Asia and Europe,” the head of center-right party The Republicans stated in the interview published on Saturday.

“Turkey has no place in Europe. I have always adhered to this position, it is based on common sense. This doesn't mean that I have anything against the Turks. We need them, they are our allies in NATO. But if we begin to explain it – that Turkey is in Europe – European school students will have to be told that the European border lies in Syria. Where's common sense?" Sarkozy asked.

The former French leader said he is against Ankara joining the EU not only because it is too far from Europe by definition, but over the government's treatment of journalists and Kurds just as well.

"It's not just that. What's the idea behind Europe? Europe is a union of European countries. The question is very simple, even in a geographical sense, is Turkey a European country? Turkey has only one shore of the Bosphorus in Europe. Can Turkey be regarded a European country culturally, historically, and economically speaking? If we say that, we want the European Union's death,” he said.

“From that standpoint, if we talk about Turkey's accession, let me tell you that in many ways Russia is a much more European country than Turkey.” Hmmm........You can't mix water and oil.
Read the full story here.

H&M found Syrian refugee children being employed in Turkish factories that supply them.

H&M found Syrian refugee children being employed in Turkish factories that supply them. (MEE).

High-street clothes retailers Next and H&M found Syrian refugee children being employed in Turkish factories that supply them, according to a survey by a British charity released on Monday.

The report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, a corporate responsibility watchdog, said both companies had acted to tackle the problem after finding Syrian children working in three of their suppliers.

But the charity warned that for other big brands "refugee workers appear out of sight and out of mind," saying only 10 of the 28 companies surveyed responded fully and five failed to do so at all.

The charity says an estimated 250,000 to 400,000 Syrian refugees are working illegally in Turkey, from around 2.2 million who have fled the almost five-year civil war at home.

It added that the Turkish government's move last month to issue work permits for Syrian refugees would reduce their vulnerability although it warned that "many refugee workers are likely to remain illegal". Read the full story here.

HT and Source:

H&M has found evidence of child labor among #SyriaRefugees working in #Turkey's sweatshops that provide them#Syriahttps://t.co/sSetFzbzrT

— маяковский (@moscow_ghost) February 2, 2016

Related: Syrian child labour, a ticket to Europe

Far-right, anti-EU & anti-immigrant parties form group in EU parliament, will they loose their funding?

Far-right, anti-EU and anti-immigrant parties form group in EU parliament, will they loose their funding? (Politico.eu).

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Front party said Monday it had enough support to form a group in the European Parliament, a long-awaited move that will boost the group’s influence in the assembly.

The anti-European Union, anti-immigration party said in a statement it was to formally announce the creation of its group, named “Europe of Nations and Freedoms,” in a press conference Tuesday hosted by party chief Le Pen in Brussels.

By forming a group, the National Front (FN) will get more speaking time during the plenary sessions and more staff. The party will also be better positioned to get its members on parliamentary committees, where groups exert control over access.

The FN has 23 deputies in Parliament, just short of the 25 needed to form a group, but the real challenge has been the recruitment of deputies from a minimum of seven nations needed to form a group. The statement did not specify the names or nationalities of the deputies the party had recruited to meet that requirement. Le Pen’s parliamentary adviser declined to name the additional MEPs.

But parliamentary sources said the group will include 36 MEPs from several parties, including one from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and one from Hungarian far-right party Jobbik, as well as deputies from the Netherlands’ PVV, Austria’s FPÖ, Italy’s Lega Nord and Belgium’s Vlaams Belang.

The co-chairs, according to sources, will be Le Pen and Marcel De Graaff of the Netherlands. The vice chairs will be Harald Vilimsky of Austria, Matteo Salvini of Italy, Michal Marusik of Poland and Janice Atkinson of Britain, who was previously sidelined by UKIP following an alleged expenses scandal. The treasurer will be Gerolf Annemans of Belgium. The secretary general will be Ludovic de Danne, a Le Pen parliamentary adviser.

About to loose their subsidy?

Two years ago the European Commission proposed a law that would authorize an “independent authority” within the European Parliament [EP] to decide whether EP parties would receive an official legal status as EP parties.

This legal status is needed for a party to obtain EP party subsidy, which is designed to cover 85% of party expenditures.

Despite a British and Dutch lobby against the law, it was passed by the EP on September 29, 2014.

Among the demands parties have to meet are that of “internal party democracy” and that they must “respect the values on which the European Union is based.” Among these values are: “pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men.” Also, the parties must be active in at least seven out of 28 EU member state countries.

The law states that: “decisions regarding a party’s respect for values on which the EU is based, may only be taken following a special procedure and in cooperation with a committee of independent prominent individuals.” Hmmmm.......Seems they are about to loose their EU funding, so WHO Will fund them now? Follow the money.Read the full story here.