Macron Criticizes EU Rules on Migrants

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with soldiers during his visit to Calais, northern France, Tuesday, Jan.16, 2018. (Denis Charlet/Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with soldiers during his visit to Calais, northern France, Tuesday, Jan.16, 2018. (Denis Charlet/Pool via AP)
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Macron Criticizes EU Rules on Migrants

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with soldiers during his visit to Calais, northern France, Tuesday, Jan.16, 2018. (Denis Charlet/Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with soldiers during his visit to Calais, northern France, Tuesday, Jan.16, 2018. (Denis Charlet/Pool via AP)

President Emmanuel Macron has blasted EU policy on migrants as he visited Calais where lied the Jungle, a squalid shantytown near the northern city's port that was once home to some 10,000 migrants dreaming of Britain.

In a closely watched speech in Calais, Macron promised a more orderly immigration policy with zero tolerance for camps like the Jungle.

"There will be no reconstruction of the Jungle and no tolerance for the illegal occupation of public space," Agence France Presse quoted Macron as saying in his speech at a Calais police station.

While the Jungle was demolished in late 2016, hundreds of migrants remain in Calais, trying night after night to stow away on trucks heading across the Channel to England.

He joined a chorus of criticism for the EU's "Dublin" rules which say asylum seekers must be dealt with in the country where they arrive, creating a huge burden for frontline states like Italy.

But he ruled out suggesting migrants should be able to apply for asylum in any EU country, saying this would "strip the entry country of their responsibilities".

France gave out 262,000 residence permits last year -- a 13.7 percent hike in a year and 35 percent of them to refugees, the interior ministry said Tuesday. 



European Powers May Restore UN Sanctions on Iran

FILED - 18 July 2024, United Kingdom, Woodstock: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy gives an interview at the European Political Community summit. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
FILED - 18 July 2024, United Kingdom, Woodstock: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy gives an interview at the European Political Community summit. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
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European Powers May Restore UN Sanctions on Iran

FILED - 18 July 2024, United Kingdom, Woodstock: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy gives an interview at the European Political Community summit. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
FILED - 18 July 2024, United Kingdom, Woodstock: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy gives an interview at the European Political Community summit. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa

The European troika, known as the E3, may restore UN sanctions on Iran under the snapback mechanism, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Tuesday, warning that the move could increase Tehran's suffering unless it takes a serious stance on stepping back from its nuclear program.

Speaking to the UK parliament’s foreign affairs select committee, Lammy said: “Iran faces even more pressure in the coming weeks because the E3 can snap back on our sanctions, and it’s not just our sanctions, it’s actually a UN mechanism that would impose dramatic sanctions on Iran across nearly every single front in its economy.”

“So they have a choice to make. It’s a choice for them to make. I’m very clear about the choice they should make, but I’m also clear that the UK has a decision to make that could lead to far greater pain for the Iranian regime unless they get serious about the international desire to see them step back from their nuclear ambitions,” he added.

Meanwhile, a French diplomatic source told Reuters on Tuesday that European powers would have to restore UN sanctions on Iran if there were no nuclear deal that guaranteed European security interests.

The source spoke after a call between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Lammy ahead of a Franco-British summit.

Last Thursday, France threatened “retaliatory measures” against Tehran if it persisted with new charges against a French couple held in Iran, including accusations that they spied for Israel.

Snapback Mechanism

France, Britain and Germany - the E3 – are threatening to activate the snapback mechanism that would reinstate all United Nations Security Council sanctions previously levied on Iran.

According to diplomats, the E3 countries may trigger the snapback by August if no substantial deal can be found by then. The window closes on October 18.

UN resolution 2231 allows a State Party to the agreement to address a complaint to the Security Council about significant non-performance by another JCPOA participant.

Within 30 days of receiving such a notification, the UN Security Council shall vote on a draft resolution to either maintain the termination of previous sanctions or allow them to be reimposed.

European powers are considering triggering the snapback mechanism after Iran's decision to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).