Migration Pact fails to deliver real solidarity & respect for fundamental rights

Today, MEPs will vote on a series of files aimed at modifying the EU’s migration and asylum policies known as the Migration Pact. The Greens/EFA Group has long argued for a fair and responsible migration policy that is based on solidarity and respect for fundamental rights. The majority of the Migration Pact files fail to achieve this. The Greens/EFA Group will vote against the majority of the files. 

Philippe Lamberts MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group, comments: 

“Building a fortress Europe by throwing up fences, paying off warlords and normalising inhumane practices will not stop migration. The only responsible way to handle migration is to treat it with practical and pragmatic solutions based on solidarity and respect for fundamental rights, instead of pandering to the far-right. It’s clear that the current political class are desperate to claim that they have solved the issue of migration, regardless of the realities on the ground. 

“The Pact will entrench existing problems by disproportionately focusing on deterrence, including through the widespread detention of people and children, while reducing their rights. It will shift ever more responsibility to third countries and greater financial resources to autocratic governments and warlords. The new asylum rules will outsource the responsibility for processing some asylum claims to outside the EU and will oblige Member States to apply rules that will prolong the detention of asylum applicants, including children. 

“Unfortunately, the Pact will force the Member States who have already borne the brunt of the migration issue, to continue to be responsible for the reception and hosting of newly arrived people in Europe. The immense complexity of the new rules, as well the new obligation on Member States to apply a series of sub-standard procedures will inevitably lead to more financial and administrative burden for already overstretched authorities.   

“This Pact was the EU’s chance to fix the broken Dublin System and build solidarity between Member States. Instead, the Crisis Regulation maximises the possibility for Member States to get out of their responsibilities and obligations and undermines solidarity and the EU asylum system as a whole.”

Terry Reintke MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group, comments: 

“The EU's focus should be on upholding our own values by respecting the fundamental rights of everyone, regardless of their migration status. To be able to do this in a sustainable manner, responsibility needs to be shared more fairly both within the EU and with our international partners, including through important tools like resettlement and humanitarian admission.  

“We believe that the positive elements of two of the files being voted on today, the recast Reception Conditions Directive and the Union Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Framework, constitute important building blocks for such an approach, and are even more important given the restrictive and harmful approach taken by the other files. 

“We have fought long and hard to improve the Migration Pact and argued for a practical, pragmatic and fair approach to migration and asylum. Unfortunately, the Pact as a whole falls short and will make the situation worse for Member States, border communities, and for people on the move. A Migration Pact that undermines solidarity, formalises detention at the borders, weakens people’s rights and could see children and families locked up, is one we cannot celebrate.”

More:

Greens/EFA Group Proposal for a fail and efficient asylum system in Europe