French President Emmanuel Macron accused the British government of making Ukrainian refugees unwelcome in britain and pretending to lead the world to help the victims of the "war," according to the British newspaper The Guardian reported on March 11.
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Speaking at the end of the EU summit in Versailles, Macron was harshly critical of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's approach to refugees fleeing Ukraine.
Macron said the British government's insistence that visa applicants traveling to the UK must travel to Brussels and Paris in person has caused additional suffering to desperate men, women and children.
Macron accused the British government of failing to live up to its "grand statement". "I hope that Ukrainian men and women who have experienced the attacks and crossed Europe to British territory will be treated better," he said. ”
In the March 11 Declaration of Versailles, the EU said it would "provide temporary protection for all refugees from Ukraine". In Europe, almost only the UK insists that even those refugees with relatives in the UK must apply for a visa. Home Secretary Pritty Patel has previously claimed that the application centre also needs to conduct strict personal safety checks to stop Russian agents or terrorists from smuggling into britain.
Under intense pressure from members of the House of Commons, Patel changed her policy, announcing that online applications could begin next Tuesday. But Macron said more than 2 million people had already fled Ukraine and millions more were expected to flee, and the British government needed to do more.
Macron said: "I welcome the change in the UK, which shows that there is a problem and that the UK government continues to implement the current rules, which means they do not welcome Ukrainian refugees who wish to arrive on British territory. They are starting to align themselves with their own statements, which is a sign of pragmatism and a step in the right direction, although there is still a lot of work to be done. I think the Letter from the French Home Secretary is very helpful (Gerald Dalmanin wrote to Patel over the weekend urging her to set up a British consular service in Calais). ”
Of the at least 22,000 applications pending to date, the UK has approved only 957 visas. Earlier this week, the policy of personally processing applications caused confusion in Calais after Patel had lied that a visa application centre had been opened.
The UK's Ukrainian Family Scheme allows Ukrainian family members of Uk citizens to remain in the UK upon successful completion of their visa application. Refugees who can find private sponsors or local authorities willing to provide housing and integration support can also come within the first 12 months.
In contrast, under EU policy, all Ukrainian refugees have the right to live and work in the EU for at least one year, perhaps even up to three years. Ukrainian citizens already enjoy the right to 90 days visa-free access to the EUROPEAN Union.
(Edit: DXY)