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Belgium's ruling coalition collapses over U.N. pact on migration
Source: Washington Post
Belgium’s ruling coalition collapses over U.N. pact on migration
By Michael Birnbaum December 9 at 2:02 PM
BRUSSELS — Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel scrambled to hold on to power Sunday, as his nation became the latest to face political upheaval caused by the planned adoption this week of a symbolic global pact on migration.
The controversy over the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration revealed the degree to which the issue has become politically poisonous in the era of President Trump and rising far-right leaders in Europe. The nonbinding agreement, proposed by European leaders in the aftermath of the 2015 migration crisis in Europe, reaffirms existing commitments to human rights and seeks to broaden international cooperation to avoid future crises. But the United States, Israel, Australia and a lengthening tally of European countries say they will not sign on.
In Belgium, Michel’s decision to commit his country to the pact led the right-wing N-VA Flemish nationalist party to leave the ruling coalition late Saturday. The N-VA, which had held power over migration policy and sought to speed deportations from Belgium, declared that taking part in the pact meant giving up sovereignty over the country’s borders. Michel said he would pursue a minority government as he departed for the United Nations conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, where he will sign the document.
Migration is an issue “that cannot be solved alone,” he said Sunday.
The pact, which seeks to reduce the root causes of migration while making it safer for people who choose to move across borders, was the result of a European push to avoid repetitions of the drama of 2015. That year, more than a million people streamed into Europe, often by foot and under painful conditions. By signing the pact, countries pledge to respect the human rights of refugees and economic migrants, reduce the detention of migrants and offer them basic social services.
-snip-
By Michael Birnbaum December 9 at 2:02 PM
BRUSSELS — Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel scrambled to hold on to power Sunday, as his nation became the latest to face political upheaval caused by the planned adoption this week of a symbolic global pact on migration.
The controversy over the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration revealed the degree to which the issue has become politically poisonous in the era of President Trump and rising far-right leaders in Europe. The nonbinding agreement, proposed by European leaders in the aftermath of the 2015 migration crisis in Europe, reaffirms existing commitments to human rights and seeks to broaden international cooperation to avoid future crises. But the United States, Israel, Australia and a lengthening tally of European countries say they will not sign on.
In Belgium, Michel’s decision to commit his country to the pact led the right-wing N-VA Flemish nationalist party to leave the ruling coalition late Saturday. The N-VA, which had held power over migration policy and sought to speed deportations from Belgium, declared that taking part in the pact meant giving up sovereignty over the country’s borders. Michel said he would pursue a minority government as he departed for the United Nations conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, where he will sign the document.
Migration is an issue “that cannot be solved alone,” he said Sunday.
The pact, which seeks to reduce the root causes of migration while making it safer for people who choose to move across borders, was the result of a European push to avoid repetitions of the drama of 2015. That year, more than a million people streamed into Europe, often by foot and under painful conditions. By signing the pact, countries pledge to respect the human rights of refugees and economic migrants, reduce the detention of migrants and offer them basic social services.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/belgiums-ruling-coalition-collapses-over-un-pact-on-migration/2018/12/09/e9740cc2-fbc9-11e8-a17e-162b712e8fc2_story.html