Vragen over de situatie op Chios - Hoofdinhoud

De situatie op het Griekse eiland Chios is zeer zorgelijk. De omstandigheden rond de opvang van asielzoekers zijn ronduit slecht, en vanuit de EU is er onvoldoende aandacht voor de lokale gemeenschap. Het is goed dat de EU geld beschikbaar stelt om te investeren in de opvangomstandigheden, maar daarnaast moet er ook ruimte zijn voor investeringen in bijvoorbeeld het verbeteren van de infrastrustuur op het eiland, waarbij ook lokale beleidsmakers betrokken moeten worden.

Zie hieronder de vragen die ik hierover heb gesteld aan de Europese Commissie. Zodra deze vragen beantwoord zijn zal het op deze pagina toegevoegd worden.

Question for Written answer to the Commission - 22 February 2017 - Kati Piri

The EU is providing emergency support to Greece, which “…shall provide a needs-based emergency response, complementing the response of the affected Member States, aimed at preserving life, preventing and alleviating human suffering, and maintaining human dignity”.¹

However, the situation on the Greek island Chios is particularly worrisome, where it seems that not all needs are addressed and where public support for the EU and the reception of refugees is declining.

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  Is the European Commission planning to invest in long-term projects on the island Chios that benefit both the reception of refugees and the local population, such as very much needed improvements in infrastructure?

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  How does the European Commission include local actors on the island Chios in order to provide them ‘ownership’ of the EU-funded projects and to ensure that EU funds are spent where it is most urgently needed?

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  Does the European Commission agree that maintaining local support for the reception of refugees in Greece is crucial with regard to dangerous anti-refugee sentiments and the rise of xenophobia on the Greek islands?

¹Council Regulation (EU) 2016/369 of 15 March 2016 on the provision of emergency support within the Union