Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has decided to reject funding from all EU member states to protest against the manner in which Europe has handled the refugee crisis. This means that MSF will miss out on £47 million. They say that they cannot accept money from countries and institutions, which are
“intensifying attempts to push people and their suffering away from European shores. This decision will take effect immediately and will apply to MSF’s projects worldwide.”
One of the main reasons for this decision is based on the EU- Turkey deportation deal, the deal created in March that ensures the deportation of nearly every asylum seeker arriving to Greece, which has lead to thousands of people stranded in abysmal living conditions on the Greek islands and thousands still trapped in war ravaged Syria.
A further reason for the MSF’s decision is due to Europe attempting to pay dictatorships in Africa in order to stem the flow of migration before they get to Europe.
MSF says that the European response is focused on deterring people from entering Europe rather than giving people the help that they need.
“MSF will not receive funding from institutions and governments whose policies do so much harm. We are calling on European governments to shift priorities: rather than maximising the number of people they can push back, they must maximise the number they welcome and protect.” said Jérôme Oberreit, MSF’s international secretary general.
MSF is a global organization but has increased operations in Europe recently due to the refugee crisis. The decision will not have a huge impact on operations as 90% of its funds come from private sources. MSF has also pulled out of the humanitarian world summit, run by the UN. Are MSF’s actions noble or are they just cutting off their nose to spite their face?