Egypt rejects EU plan to force refugees into camps
The debate over the European Union’s plan to set up centers for migrants in North Africa and the Middle East has been rekindled in Egypt, where officials reiterated their rejection of such centers.
Egypt recently renewed its refusal to set up so-called migrant reception centers on its lands over legal considerations. This rejection rekindled debate over the European Union’s plan to establish refugee camps in Africa and the Middle East in a bid to screen and stem the flow of migrants attempting to leave for Europe. Egypt's refusal has compounded the EU’s refugee problem, piling more pressure on its leaders, who are racing against time to make a tangible breakthrough in refugee-related talks.
The EU seeks to establish these centers in Egypt to hamper the flow of migrants to Europe via the Mediterranean. On July 1, Egyptian parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag during a visit to Berlin that building refugee camps affiliated to the EU in Egypt would "violate the laws and constitution of our country.”
