In view of the current mass exodus from Kosovo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a fair distribution of asylum seekers within the European Union.
The situation of refugees in the EU is “very unsatisfactory,” Merkel said in her weekly video podcast, which was released on Saturday, AFP reported. Europe must “offer the refugees reasonable conditions at their place of arrival,” Merkel continued.
She also stressed the need to “develop a sense of fairness among the member states of the European Union” about taking in and supporting such individuals.
Simultaneously, the reasons for such a mass exodus must be dealt with in the countries of origin, Merkel added. This is necessary for sustaining political stability in such countries. “We must try to minimize the reasons for migration through development aid, through political cooperation and also through support for the African Union.”
In January, 3,630 Kosovars applied for political asylum in Germany, according to the latest figures. This represents an 85 percent increase over December 2014. In 2015, more than 18,000 Kosovars have reached Germany, and many are waiting for an opportune moment to submit their asylum application, the government said.
The stream of asylum seekers from Kosovo has re-kindled an old debate within the EU, already aggravated in Germany by the rise of anti-immigration parties and movements such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA).
