This spring, amid rising geopolitical tensions, Turkey decided to send thousands of migrants towards the Greek border as a way of exerting pressure on Europe. It would be easy to place the blame for these situations squarely on the shoulders of countries at the EU’s Mediterranean frontier. But it is likely to be formalised next month when the European commission unveils its new pact on migration and asylum, which will shape the bloc’s overall policy in the years to come. Ylva Johansson, the EU commissioner for home affairs, expressed concern at the reports but said she lacked the power to investigate. • Daniel Trilling is the author of Lights in the Distance: Exile and Refuge at the Borders of Europe

Source: The Guardian August 27, 2020 06:00 UTC