EU’s Schinas: Neighboring countries cannot blackmail Europe on migration
Europe cannot be blackmailed by any of its neighboring countries on migration, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said in an interview with Greek state-run broadcaster ERT on Wednesday evening.
“It was proved last year in Evros, a few months ago on the Spanish-Moroccan border, in the Spanish city of Ceuta, and a few weeks ago on the Belarus-Lithuania border, that no authoritarian or non-authoritarian neighbor can blackmail Europe by manipulating human suffering through migration flows,” he said.
“Those who tried failed and today the president has found the right political moment to reiterate this message,” he added, referring to a speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
Neighbors need to “work with Europe, not against it,” he said.
