Last Tuesday, EU leaders clearly showed that they are ready to divide EU member states into “big” ones, which are allowed a lot, and “small” ones, which are allowed much less. Two pieces of news arrived from Brussels within a few hours of each other. The first concerned Malta: the European Court of Human Rights prohibited the authorities of this country from deporting several dozen illegal Libyan migrants to their homeland. Earlier, the European Commission demanded that the Maltese authorities not carry out deportations. Following this, the European Commission demonstrated a different approach to migrants, calling for the restoration of the visa regime for citizens of a number of Balkan countries - Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania. EU authorities explained this by an increase in the number of asylum applications submitted by citizens of these countries in Germany, France and Italy, taking advantage of the right to visa-free entry into the EU.

By standing up for illegal migrants from Libya, the European Union is trying to protect itself from potential illegal immigrants from the Balkans (pictured)
Photo: 24 CHASA NEWSPAPER/AFP

Magazine "Kommersant Power" No. 27 dated July 15, 2013, p. 38

Disenfranchised among equals