For voluntary return... European countries demand a re-evaluation of the situation in Syria

ARK News… Eight European Union member states have called for an “assessment of the situation in Syria” in order to allow the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.

Officials from Austria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta and Poland announced in a joint statement that they had agreed to a re-evaluation that would lead to “more effective ways of dealing” with Syrian refugees trying to reach European Union countries.

The countries, which held talks during a summit meeting in the Cypriot capital, explained that the situation in Syria "has developed significantly, despite the failure to achieve complete political stability."

The statement said that the European Union should increase its support for Lebanon "to mitigate the risks of greater flows from Lebanon to the European Union."

“Decisions regarding who is entitled to cross a Member State’s borders should be made by the government of the Member State concerned and not by the criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking,” the joint statement said.

The countries said that while they "fully embrace the need to support Syrian refugees in line with international law, they hope that their talks will open a broader debate within the 27-member bloc about the process of granting migrants international protection."

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