Filenews 5 July 2022
As a "reservoir" with limited capacity, which at the moment has begun to overflow and flood the whole country, the Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Costas Constantinou, characterized the situation with the migration issue, to those who attended the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee for the study of the demographic problem.
He likened the problem to a reservoir that has a specific capacity, just as Cyprus has a certain potential for integrating a new world, as he said. When you cross that boundary, he said, the tank overflows. First, as he said, it is felt by the people who are close to the "reservoir" and gradually floods the whole country. For this reason, as he said, the problem is now being seen even in the most expensive areas of the cities. He noted that the only way to manage the situation is to reduce the numbers.
He also said that the risk posed for migration now also concerns the renewal of the population. He noted that last year in Cyprus there were 10,700 births when in the same period there were more than 13,000 asylum applications. At the same time, he said that in the first half of 2022, there were 4,250 births in Cyprus, when in the same period there were 12,000 arrivals. "This doesn't happen in any other country," he said.
The Asylum Service, he added, has broken all records for speeding up procedures but has so many more arrivals. As he said last year they considered 16,000 applications. But he said there are currently 31,315 applications pending at the asylum service and the administrative court for international protection. He also said that last year there were 13,000 negative responses and a record number of returns, but arrivals and new applications were many times higher than returns.
As measures to deal with the phenomenon, he said that inflows should be limited, procedures should be speeded up and more agreements should be made to return those whose applications have been rejected.
It is estimated that of the 30,000 migrants whose applications were rejected, 13,000 live in the Republic and must return home.
Returns to the countries of origin were 2,300 for 2021 and 2,770 in the first half of 2022.
Mr. Constantinou said that the applications soared after September 2021 when Turkey, which instrumentalizes the migration issue, opened the path of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, which leads them through the line of confrontation to the Republic of Cyprus, after coming from Istanbul and Tymbou. The situation he said has since got out of hand with about 100 people a day crossing the green line. He also said that those who cannot come by air, come from the sea and end up in the Bay of Morphou.
He said that for the first half of 2022, refugee protection status was granted in 121 cases, proving that Cyprus is mainly attracted by economic migrants.
Deputy Minister of Welfare Anastasia Anthousi, who also attended the Commission, said that the allowances from the public coffers amount to €40 million per year, while the European Union pays the expenses only for infrastructure. Expenditure on rents, she said, reaches €14.5 million per year.
She also said that checks are constantly being carried out on the places of residence of migrants and on the possibility of illegal work. If illegalities are detected, as she said, then immediately the benefits are cut off.
Responding to complaints from MPs, Ms. Anthousi said there were reports that immigrants had other incomes besides benefits.
