Süddeutsche Zeitung: Little Moldova and the West

The repatriation of refugees to the Aegean, the small Moldova that is increasingly being targeted by the war and inflation in the German press.

The issue of the repatriation of refugees to the Aegean, which in fact seems to be causing the resignation of the head of Frontex, comes back once again. Spiegel writes: “The European border protection service Frontex is more involved than previously known in the illegal repatriation of refugees by the Greek Coast Guard. This is evidenced by a joint investigation by Spiegel with Lighthouse Reports, the Swiss media SRF and Republik In the Aegean, the Greek Coast Guard systematically abandons people seeking protection at sea to reduce the number of refugees.Frontex is involved in the illegal repatriation of at least 957 refugees between March 2020 and September 2021. Among them “22 deportations can be proven without any doubt, because for example there are photos of refugees on Greek lifeboats”.

The report goes on to say: “The actual number of refunds Frontex has assisted is probably higher. Pushbacks are recorded in an internal Frontex database, but always with the wrong term ‘departure prevention’. This describes situations “In fact, the Turkish Coast Guard is locating refugees. In reality, however, the vessels are being located and sent back to Greek waters. When asked, Frontex said it was unable to indicate any specific incidents. The border guard has been under pressure for months.” .

Little Moldova and the West

THE Süddeutsche Zeitung refers to small Moldova, which has recently become increasingly in the spotlight over the war in Ukraine, and comments: “In the worst case, the West could be drawn even deeper into Moscow’s violent war Moldova, which defines itself as part of Europe and has many citizens with Romanian passports, is neutral but would rightly demand active support that goes beyond verbal solidarity, not only because of its geographical location but also because of its pro-European stance. Last week ‘s events – a number of attacks on facilities in the breakaway region – have greatly heightened fears of this, and so far both the leadership in Moldova and the breakaway region have reacted calmly. “However, if there is no de-escalation, it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Concerned about rising inflation

Finally, many newspapers comment on the rise in inflation in the Eurozone. THE Leipziger Volkscheitung writes: “2%, this is the medium-term inflation target set by the euro’s depositors. The European Central Bank is miles away from this and it does not look like the situation will calm down on its own. has been implied several times, it must now be done faster and more decisively than the Central Bank would like. Of course, such a step also carries risks. “Like poison. But leaving the situation as it is is not an option.”

Maria Rigoutsou

SOURCE: Deutsche Welle