09 March 2020
Nikolaj Nielsen of EUobserver condemns the European Commission's approach to the situation at the Greece-Turkey border.
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"Asked if it was legal for Greece to suspend asylum claims for a month as Greece has done, the commission announced it had no "authority to have a definitive legal opinion or legal doctrine."
Asked if it was legal to fire rubber bullets at asylum seekers, the commission also refused to comment.
"It is not up to the commission to offer any opinion or judgement on a situation which is exceptional, that is under certain constraints," said Margaritis Schinas, the vice-president in charge of "promoting our European way of life".
Eric Mamer, the commission's chief spokesperson, was even more blunt. "You won't get a straight yes or no answer from me," he said.
Instead, what you will get is a commission that has cowed to the far-right and one that is no longer fit to be the guardian of the EU treaties. That honour now belongs to EU citizens alone, it seems."
Migrants: EU commission not fit to guard treaties (EUobserver, link)
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