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22 November 2021, Monday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #49
IN FOCUS
By Padmashree Anandhan
Migrants from Middle-east will no longer fly into Belarus as the EU sanctions airlines
The EU announced sanctions on airlines that were involved in the Poland-Belarus border crisis. After this announcement various airlines, aviation authorities and later the Lebanese Transport Ministry have taken a decision to allow only Belarusians and foreign citizens with permanent resident permits to fly into Belarus.
What happened?
Since July, more than 600 planes from various middle eastern states have landed in Minsk. It is observed that most of the flights were operated by Belavia, a Belarusian state airline. Upon the rising concerns of the migrant crisis, the European Commission came up with a plan to levy strict sanctions on airlines that board migrants into the EU. The commission carried out a round of negotiations with all the airlines including Fly Dubai, Turkish Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Air Arabiya, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, MEA, Oman Air, Iraqi Airways, and Egypt Air. Later the Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas and European transport commissioner Adina Velean had close communication with international aviation authorities such as IAT or the Arab Air Carriers.
The negotiations led to a major number of airlines accepting the condition to halt the sale of one-way tickets to migrants traveling from the Middle East to Belarus or to cancel all the flights to Belarus. Turkish Airlines recently announced to stop flying passengers from Iraq, Syria, or Yemen to Belarus.
A Syrian airline called Cham Wings was suspected to have directly flown people from Syria to Minsk under “expedited express entry visas” by the Belarusian embassy. This airline has also called in for the cancellation of flights.
According to the experts, the reason behind such transfer of people into Minsk by airlines was due to the covid driven financial difficulties and secondly, they simply neglected to get its business running.
Sanctions by the EU
In the round of negotiations, the EU threatened the airlines stating the overflight and landing rights will be withdrawn from those who indulge in transporting migrants. For the airlines it is not only about its landing rights but it will risk losing the entire Europe aviation market. Another threat is the air transport agreements, these agreements regulate the way air traffic is organised between countries. In case of any breach of this agreement, it will result in the EU terminating the deal and will have a bad impact on the airlines of all countries.
So far, the EU has closed its airspace and cancelled the air transport agreement with Belarus. It also implies that the EU aircrafts will not cross the Belarusian airspace on long-distance flights. This means the regime in Minsk will not be able to collect the overflight fee. Apart from this the EU has also imposed sanctions on tourism companies and others responsible for helping the refugees to cross borders of the EU.
With the regressive steps of cutting down the airlines, barring Minsk from collecting overflight fee and sanction on tourism companies, EU’s plan to bring the Belarus instigated migrant crisis under control seems to be taking shape.
References:
Thomas Latschan, “Belarus crisis: Airlines threatened with sanctions,” Deutche welle, 19 November 2021
IN BRIEF
By Joeana Cera Matthews and Vaishnavi Iyer
BULGARIA
Elections 2021: Radev’s victory expected
On 21 November. Alpha Research and Gallup International released the exit polls of the elections; according to the same, President Rumen Radev is predicted to stay in power for another term. His victory is expected to be with a whole two-thirds of the vote. Radev has joined hands with the newly founded “We Continue the Change” party which won the recently conducted general elections. Radev was reported as saying: “Let’s not give the past a chance to undermine our future. Let us decide our destiny and our future ourselves, and not give others a chance to decide instead of us.” A staunch critic of the former Prime Minister Boko Borissov, Radev had managed to attain 49 per cent of votes in the first round of the presidential elections while his opponent Anastas Gerdzhikov won a meagre 23 per cent in the same. (“Bulgaria exit polls: President Radev set for election victory,” Deutsche Welle, 21 November 2021)
FRANCE
Protests witness calls for stringent measures on ending sexual violence
On 20 November, thousands of women took to French streets protesting against the widespread sexual violence and called on the government to bring an end to the same. The protests follow recent discussions relating to the topic that point out the death of a woman every three days at the hands of either their current or former partner. Protesters demanded President Emmanuel Macron’s government to increase the expenditure on preventing violence against women from EUR 360 million to EUR one billion. However, the government’s moves were defended by Equality Minister Elisabeth Moreno who pointed out how the efficient the French government was in dealing with the issue of sexual violence. The protest came as a part of the week of action in line with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which falls on 25 November. (“France: Tens of thousands protest violence against women,” Deutsche Welle, 20 November 2021)
ITALY
Volcanic activity calls for island evacuation in Italy
Due to heightened volcanic activity and sulphurous emissions in the vicinity, the mayor of the island of Vulcano in Sicily's Aeolian archipelago has directed the evacuation of roughly 150 people and prohibited tourists. After a series of substantial changes in volcanic indicators, Italy's civil protection agency issued an amber alert for the island, roughly 15 miles north of Sicily. In October, various citizens reported sickness in their pets due to volcanic activity. According to the Italian National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), heavy gases have increased, reducing the amount of oxygen in the air and causing respiratory problems that can be fatal. Local officials also established a "red zone" where the gas attributable to volcanic activity is more prevalent, with carbon dioxide (CO2) levels exceeding the usual, and limited residents' mobility from their houses between 11 pm and 6 am. The island will be closed to visitors for a month. (Lorenzo Tondo, “Italian island of Vulcano orders partial evacuation after increased activity,” The Guardian, 21 November 2021)
CLIMATE CHANGE
Pope urges the younger generation to endure in climate safety efforts
According to The Associated Press, Pope Francis called on the younger generation to continue their action to preserve the environment. He made the remarks during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, commemorating World Youth Day in dioceses throughout the world, and thanking those who fought to assure "respect for the dignity of the vulnerable and spread the spirit of solidarity and sharing." He also mentioned that many young people have voiced their concerns about environmental pollution, adding that even in a society where people are more concerned with "immediate gain" and are more likely to destroy "great ideas", the younger generation has not forgotten "the ability to dream." Lately, he has begun to include social justice and environmental challenges as a part of his daily speeches. In August 2023, he also plans to meet with young people from across the world during the Catholic church's jamboree in Lisbon, Portugal. He was also heard requesting the youth to, “Be free and authentic, be the critical conscience of society.” (Olafimihan Oshin, “Pope calls on young people to protect environment,” The Hill, 21 November 2021)
COVID-19
Renewed restrictions lead to protests across Europe
On 20 November, several European countries witnessed protests as a result of the new set of COVID-19 restrictions that have been imposed due to the surge in infections. The Netherlands witnessed its third consecutive day of demonstrations with protesters inflicting damage upon infrastructure. 26 arrests have been confirmed in Rotterdam, the second-largest Dutch city. Brussels also saw large-scale demonstrations attended by around 35,000 people; however, most of the demonstrators had disbanded before things took a violent turn. The city saw 42 being detained and two arrested. In France’s overseas island of Guadeloupe, property vandalization led to the arrests of 38 people after week-long protests to withdraw newly imposed restrictions. (“COVID: Protests against curbs rock Netherlands, Belgium,” Deutsche Welle, 22 November 2021)
MIGRATION
Priti Patel accused of mishandling the migrant crisis
After a record number of individuals arrived on British beaches in boats last week, the Labour Party has accused Priti Patel of "comprehensively failing" to limit the growing population crossing the Channel. It comes after claims that Boris Johnson is "exasperated" by his government's failure to slow the tide of arrivals, with concerns that no feasible proposal to lower the number of people arriving available. Shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, stated Patel’s incompetence on the matter to be hazardous. The government confronts a major problem, according to Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council. He says the government must keep its promise to manage the UK's borders and recognise the matter’s complexity. Moreover, the issue needs an informed realistic approach and not empty rhetoric. Sajid Javid, the health secretary backed Patel stating the new Nationality and Borders bill is set to make drastic changes to the migration issue. (Rajeev Syal, “Priti Patel accused of ‘comprehensively failing’ to curb small boat crossings,” The Guardian, 21 November 2021)