Lithuanian MEP: migrant crisis will be a lingering issue

  • 2015-10-21
  • By Linas Jegelevicius

KLAIPEDA - The topic of refugees is tapering off on the TV screens in Lithuania and Brussels alike. It may vanish eventually from the news, but the problem may grip the European Union — and the European Parliament — for years to come, believes Petras Austrevicius. A member of the European Parliament and one of the stalwarts of the muscle-flexing Liberal Movement, a Lithuanian party, Austrevicius said, “It really has the potential to hammer a splinter so deep into the foundation of the European Union that it may start cracking up someday.” He kindly agreed to take The Baltic Times questions.

As we speak, Lithuania, Poland, and EU have signed a trilateral agreement on the financing gas interconnector between Poland and Lithuania, GIPL. Both countries are getting ready for the launch at the end of the year of LitPol, which will link the countries’ electricity grids. Lithuania is also considering kicking off an electricity interconnector with Sweden by the beginning of 2016. How does the European Union view Lithuania’s progress in energy security and independence?
Indeed, Lithuania has been very successfully pursuing and implementing several major energy projects. As a nation, we had done timely and necessary preparations to enjoy the success now. Because of the projects you mentioned, the Baltics are viewed as an example-setting region in implementing EU’s energy directives, which all boil down to creating a single energy union, diversifying energy sources, and being more competitive.

Still, Lithuania struggles to sell liquefied natural gas from the Klaipeda terminal and jetty, which many experts believe is just too big for a country size of Lithuania. Do you believe we’ve sacrificed economics for politics in this case?
As you know, the Klaipeda LNG terminal aims for a larger market than just ours. So we ought to see the prospects of the terminal from the standpoint of the Baltic region. I’ve been part of parliamentary discussions on how big the terminal ought to be and there have never been many arguments that the current capacity is not right. I think it is just a matter of time before the project pans out.

What issues are trending nowadays in the European Parliament?

Definitely, the refugee crisis and Russia’s warfare in Syria. No doubt about it. I am convinced the problems of migrants’ deluge to Europe will be here quite for a while – it is certainly not something coming and dying away. Speaking of Russia’s implication in Syria, I’d say that whole issue has not yet been appropriately addressed by the European Union. Unfortunately. I hope we will soon be hearing a firmer EU’s say on the issue.

Do you wonder why the recent 24-hour migrant crisis coverage on major TV networks has stopped all of a sudden? What are you hearing about the scope of the crisis from your German or Greek colleagues?

Indeed, we on the other side of the TV screens often end up being what I call victims of public relations. This is what happened with the refugee crisis coverage. Like anything else, it has gotten boring – both to the TV network executives and audiences, perhaps. Therefore, naturally, other news overshadows and eventually pushes out from the screen what seems to be an inexhaustible subject. I know for certain that the refugee flows have not receded. In fact, they can peak before winter. I have no doubt that the problem of refugees –  and how the EU handles the crisis –  will long be among the acutest political, economic, and social-spectrum of problems for the European Union.
When I talk to my colleagues in the European Parliament, I tend to hear that nobody ever expected such a large-scale humanitarian and political disaster. The numbers have caught many off-guard, frankly. Neither the European Union nor single member states had been prepared for the exodus, unfortunately. And we start seeing now the fallout from it: traditional parties and their leaders rapidly lose their popularity and new, anti-migration-posed political movements are popping up across the continent. So it seems that the migrants are becoming not just a huge socio-economic issue, but a political one, too.

Do you believe it can lead to a spate of nationalism and xenophobia in Europe?

I have no doubt whatsoever that extreme political forces will take advantage of the situation. Already now we are starting to see new, anti-migration-based and rapidly rising political forces and their leaders.

What do you have inmind?

I’m talking about Germany, where the Angela Merkel-led ruling Coalition has taken some severe blows and furthermore, the Bavarian government has threatened to take Merkel to court over refugees and talks of “self-defense.” Populist parties are being heard more clearly in Greece, too. Unfortunately, populism is very widespread and hard to root out across the Union. To see that I don’t need to go anywhere – some of the European parliamentarians have picked up the wave (of populism) and set to roll high on it.

How can it play out for Europe in the worst scenario?

It poses big risks of disunity, obviously. We need real, tangible decisions to tackle the crisis. First, each country should rationally weigh its capabilities to accept refugees, I reckon. Financial miscalculations, as well as misestimating the scale of the possible aftermath, have to be excluded. Those who managed to get here should be allowed to stay, but the European Union needs to expediently and quickly think of moving its factual borders to the regions where the masses of hapless people are coming from. If for some reason we fail to do it, the European Union will be continuously plagued with the problem.

What has the EU done to curb it?

It’s a good sign that after the lengthy, emotional summer talks we have finally managed to get some work done. First of all, all the member states have agreed on resettlement of 160,000 refugees. Second, the Parliament has voted to allocate 400 million euros for setting the so-called buffer zones in the countries where refugees begin their journey, like Turkey, for example. We have also done some necessary legislative work aimed to cordon off the European Union. Time will tell if this is enough.

A recent visit to Greece by a Lithuanian Interior deputy minister failed to find a refugee family willing to resettle in Lithuania. What do you make of this?

It does not surprise me at all. Let’s not think that Lithuania is a well-known country worldwide –  our achievements in basketball and the resulting prominence are an exception. That the refugees in Greece have not heard anything of Lithuania is a very natural thing. The opposite would be stunning, obviously.

How will the EU get around those migrants who refuse to go to one country or another?

The European Union has been preparing procedures of remission, i.e. setting a mechanism for sorting out the army of refugees, which ones should be sent back to their countries of origin, etc. I hope it will become a harsh reality for many of the migrants. It would also serve a good lesson for future refugees who decide to embark on a Europe-bound journey.

Can tackling the migrant crisis affect the UK’s decision on whether or not to hold a referendum on exiting the EU in 2017 as suggested?

It is obviously one of the triggers for such a plebiscite. UKIP’s Nigel Farage does talk about it, as well as the looming referendum, and there are others likely to follow him. So in the end, it can bring nothing good.

Amid the peak of the crisis there were proposals to have the Schengen space restricted. Is the passport free zone safe for now?

No, not at all. If the crisis exacerbates or peaks again, individual member states can assume such measures. On their own, obviously. I believe that it will not affect Lithuanian citizens, though.

How long do you believe Russian warfare in Syria will dwarf Ukraine?

With the military intervention in support of the Syrian dictator, Bashar Al-Assad, Russia has captured the world’s attention and, let’s admit, came back into the world’s politics, becoming a player on the stage which creates more fuss and problems than good. Attention-wise, Russia in Syria is in the trending news –  and this is obviously not good for Ukraine – but we certainly have not turned back to it.

How far-flung do Ukraine’s EU aspirations seem due to current circumstances?

Let’s be honest: no one in the European Union talks about them now, but there should be an understanding that the process of implementation of the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement is long and evolving. I think that not only Ukraine, but the other two aspirants, Moldova and Georgia, which also signed a similar agreement, also rationally view their possibilities and prospects. But some of the signs in politics, like a Dutch initiative to make the government hold a nationwide referendum to ratify the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, are troubling. It definitely plays into Russia’s hands. Let’s see where it takes us.

Don’t you find the politics over Belarus hypocritical? Is Belarus, ruled by authoritarian Lukashenka, who sees the lifting of EU sanctions as his political victory, much better off than Russia with Putin?

Well, we have to admit that the recent presidential election in Belarus has not created any more democracy in the country. It was held following rules set by Lukashenka, obviously. To answer your question, the Belarusian ruler has become what I call kind of a comparative dictator. War in Ukraine has made Putin look a whole lot worse, but those are the politics. Not always right, certainly.

As Lithuania’s Liberal Movement, which you are part of, has reached some record-high support, do you believe Lithuania is turning into a more liberal state?

Indeed, I attribute the strong support to certain changes in Lithuanian society. Lithuania has matured, becoming more open to the world. I believe that our society has already stopped glancing over its shoulder to the past and is focusing on what lies ahead. As much as we have to cherish our heritage, we must also be brave and innovative as we plan for the future.

Do you foresee the Liberal Movement in a new Coalition with the Social Democrats or Conservatives?

I do not want to speed things up. The voters will say best what kind of a coalition they want to see. The Liberal Movement is strong and, if entrusted by the people, is set to take on changes, real ones.