Sanction and visa restriction may await Gambia in new EU law

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By PA ABLIE CORR

Gerald Knaus, chairman of European Stability Initiative (ESI) has revealed that the Gambia could face punishment in the form of visa restriction or be sanctioned if it fails to cooperate with the new European Union (EU) laws to be enacted February this year.

According to him, there is a line in this new EU law that says the European Union (EU) should make a list of countries that don not cooperate in taking back their citizens, so that they can face sanction, visa restriction, among others.

This he said if enacted will the legislation would be very bad for The Gambia.

“If you look at the statistics, The Gambia will be in the list of the countries that fail to cooperate in taking back its citizens. This is political, but what the Gambia could do is to reach out to the EU authorities and negotiate for them to hold on mass deportation. There is enough support from Germany now. If they (the government of the Gambia) start by now I am convinced that there is enough support policy in Germany,” he revealed.

Chairman Knaus made the revelation at a recent press briefing held at Cocoa Ocean Resort and Spa in Bijilo.

He said irregular migration has caused loss of lives at sea, adding that the new policy approach will provide “win-win cooperation” between Gambia and Germany.

The ESI is a Germany based non-profitable organization currently in partnership with the National Youth Council (NYC) and have on Friday, December 20, 2019 unveiled their new policy plan on migration and reintegration of Gambian returnees.

The new policy plan, according to Gerald, is designed to map out migration crisis, and to devise strategies geared towards securing a “win-in corporation” between Gambia and Germany.

He further described the conditions of undocumented Gambian immigrants in Germany as inhumane, urging key drivers to mitigate the growing problems.

He said the new proposal would help Gambia immigrants a legally stay in Germany, with the exception of convicted criminals.

He said in 2013 the picture of the migrant boat tragedy shocked the world.

He revealed that in that boat accident 366 (three hundred and sixty-six) migrants died between North Africa and Lampedusa in Italy.

He further revealed that in this year alone eleven thousand migrants crossed the sea from North Africa to Italy.

“The mass loss of migrant lives at sea was of course a tragedy for no nation as much as The Gambia because no nation has as a larger shares of its population in that trip as The Gambia,” he noted.

On his part, Lamin Darboe, Executive Director of NYC said it is not in the best interest of the country to lose its youth at sea.

“It is neither in the best interest of our country nor the parents to send their children to take the perilous journey locally dubbed ‘back-way.’ These are the youths who should be the future leaders, parents, and policy makers in their countries of origin and you sent them away just like that,” the youth leader decried.