EU must not bow down to far-right fear mongering & populist propaganda on migration

Today, Members of the European Parliament will debate recent news around the externalisation of migration policies to third countries, such as the recent Italy-Albania deal, which was highlighted as a positive example by Commission President von der Leyen. The Greens/EFA Group have long called for an approach to migration that maintains human rights and protections for asylum seekers and includes safe and legal pathways for those fleeing war and persecution. 

Tineke Strik MEP, Greens/EFA Group Coordinator in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, comments: 

“We must not bow down to rightwing fear mongering and populist propaganda on migration. Deportation deals and overseas camps are an inhumane, expensive and ineffective approach to a complex situation. The Rome court’s ruling on the Italy-Albania agreement shows the many serious challenges to human rights that such deals entail. It is not up to politicians to attack the courts or role play as judges. The right to asylum is an important pillar of the values the EU is based on, this must be upheld and defended by the European Commission.

“The externalisation of migration ignores the EU’s legal obligation to ensure access to asylum on its territory, and is neither practical, ethical nor cost effective. The Commission is the guardian of the treaties and should be expected to adhere to and promote the rule of law, not to go beyond it for the sake of pleasing populists. President von der Leyen should be condemning far right policies, not looking into them as serious options for the sake of chasing tabloid headlines.

“Replicating the failed approach of the UK and others at exorbitant costs for the sake of appeasing populists sets a dangerous precedent. The EU only just negotiated new rules, while the current rules on reception and returns have yet to be enforced properly . President von der Leyen risks undermining the EU’s own legal framework, if she continues to turn a blind eye to Member States flouting the law and supports the populist policies of Giorgia Meloni."