Thousands of refugees arriving every day, too large flow openings that, gradually, you are closing, leaving hopeless people – adults, women and children – blocked to wait.

The worried closure of the passages by the countries located on the external front of European Union, is far away from being a solution to the threat posed by the huge human tide on the move, but it could also open the real possibility that the route move to west to the border with Albania; from there across the road right to the coast, to the usual bargaining with the smugglers, finally landing in Puglia. In European summits that is the topic of the day, if it is true that Germany, Austria and neighboring Balkanians already in October 2015 had reasoned to increase controls at the greek-Albanian border crossing. The worry is also spread to Italy which strengthened the contrast in the sea, off the coast of Puglia, combined with the fact of meetings initiated between Italian authorities and those of Albania and Montenegro. 

“From our point of view, though – said Father Alessandro Gazzola, superior general of the Scalabrinian Congregation – we reiterate the condemnation of the blindness of EU diplomacy that does not understand how the barriers along the Balkan route will continue inevitably to open and close, in some cases, perhaps, unfortunately becoming forever waterproof, with the devastating effect to generate a unbearable pressure for the thousands of people who are on their way towards Europe. ”

“The inevitable result is that of a serious humanitarian crisis – said Father Gianni Borin, superior of the missionaries working in Europe and Africa – as also UNHCR denounces. Blocking all migrants who are not asylum seekers of a specific origin, as has happened in recent days in Idomeni, north of Greece on the border with Macedonia, is degenerating in dramatic acts and in the growing of sudden and overflowing refugee camps such as the well-known in Calais. Europe “walled up and alive” is a pure illusion. ”

“All this has nothing human – adds Father Gazzola – by either sides of the front: it is only the action of instinct, which with no plan or shared rules, is driving the various leaders involved in this macabre act of building barriers and in a consequent indistinct and hostile attitude towards other human beings. ”

As missionaries alongside migrants and refugees we ask Europe to organize with extreme urgency a summit planning a complete action to face the problem:

• to be really concerned about a thousand times required legal channels for migration from the most acutely afflicted countries by war or threats of fundamental human rights;

• to follow and pursue the routes controlled by the smugglers of human flesh;

• to plan a welcoming action taking into consideration the many reasons people leave their homeland in order to direct everyone where they can better make a future for themselves and for their loved ones.

All conscious, but always not enough, that no one would leave their homes, their dear ones if they were not forced by larger and oppressive forces.