EU Migration Commissioner: "Resettlement Quotas for Afghans in Need of Protection Must Be Increased"

On the 18th (local time), citizens waiting to depart at the international airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The European Union (EU) Commissioner for Migration has urged member states to expand resettlement quotas for Afghanistan.

According to major foreign media on the 18th (local time), Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Migration and Asylum, stated in a press release, "There is a possibility that migration pressure will increase due to instability in Afghanistan."

Since the Taliban, an Islamic militant group, took control of the capital Kabul on the 15th, a stream of citizens fleeing continues. Residents have crowded the Kabul airport, occupied by U.S. forces, resulting in casualties.

Commissioner Johansson also emphasized the need to support neighboring countries that have already taken in a significant number of Afghans seeking refuge. Regarding the controversy over the forced deportation of Afghans within the EU whose asylum requests were rejected, she stressed, "They cannot be forcibly sent back."

Meanwhile, EU member states are concerned that refugees may flood in due to the Afghanistan situation. In 2015-2016, over one million Middle Eastern refugees entered Europe.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.