Greens/EFA Group will continue to fight for fair & effective approach to migration

Today, the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committee, has just voted on four key files from the Commission’s Pact on Migration.

Tineke Strik MEP, Greens/EFA Member of the LIBE Committee, comments:

“We urgently need a fair and effective approach to migration in the EU. One that guarantees the fair and equal sharing of responsibilities between Member States, common high standards in asylum procedures and humane reception conditions.

“Overall, we support a reform that improves the situation of refugees and asylum-seekers in the EU. We support those elements of the Pact that will see improvements to the situation facing refugees and asylum-seekers and will defend them during the upcoming negotiations with the Council.

“Our Group achieved some key improvements to the Commission’s proposals, by pushing for example for a stronger independent monitoring mechanism to oversee respect for fundamental rights and prevent pushbacks, for improvements to the Dublin system which currently leaves some Member States with disproportionate responsibility, and for focusing on solidarity, including through mandatory relocation, among Member states and with refugees, rather than externalising responsibility to third countries.

“However, we cannot endorse the current trends towards widespread and prolonged detention at our external borders as well as derogations from existing safeguards and fundamental rights guarantees, which are also reflected in the package in the LIBE Committee. We regret that people on the move will continue to suffer from this renewed move towards building a Fortress Europe.”