Tusk argues G20 must take up refugees' plight
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
04.11.2015 18:20
President of the European Council Donald Tusk and his European Commission counterpart Jean-Claude Juncker have argued that a global response is needed to the ongoing refugee crisis.
Refugees in field on their way to Germany near Hanging at the German-Austrian border in Hanging, Austria, 04 November 2015. EPA/ARMIN WEIGEL
In a letter to heads of state published on Wednesday, former Polish prime minister Tusk and the President of the European Commission Juncker called for more solidarity among the global economic leaders.
The appeal argued that the G20 “must rise to the challenge and lead a coordinated and innovative response to the crisis that recognises its global nature and economic consequences and promotes greater international solidarity in protecting refugees.”
In the opinion of Tusk and Juncker, the challenge should be taken up at the forthcoming G20 summit on 15-16 November in Antalya, Turkey.
“The G20 countries have an important duty, to secure financial means to the international organizations helping refugees,” Tusk and Juncker stated in the letter.
The EU has been struggling to cope with the recent influx of refugees coming from North Africa and the Middle East.
In late October, Tusk argued that the EU needs to find a middle ground in order to successfully cope with the current refugee crisis.
He claimed that “we have lost our ability to protect our borders, and in this sense, our openness is not our conscious choice, but a proof of our weakness.
“On the other hand, we cannot give in to populism and xenophobia, because our political aim should be to strengthen Europe against right-wing extremists, and not to become like them.” (uka/nh/rk)