People should not have to risk their lives to seek asylum

Today, the European Parliament has just voted to set up an EU-level humanitarian visa system for third-country nationals. The proposal would allow asylum seekers to apply for visas at embassies and consulates outside the EU, through which they can legally travel to an EU country and seek asylum. The move is designed to create a safe channel for those in need of asylum and to reduce the amount of people risking their lives in trying to travel to Europe. The European Commission now has to present a legal proposal.
 
Bodil Valero, Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur on the file comments:  
 
"People should not have to risk their lives to apply for asylum. Legal and safe means of entry into the European Union can put a stop to people smugglers and opens safe escape routes for those in need of protection. If the EU is to have a humane approach to migration and not one that forces people through perilous journeys across the Mediterranean, then we need safe routes for those who seek asylum on humanitarian grounds. Those who have suffered war should not be forced to risk their lives in rickety boats at the hands of people smugglers."
 
"Now the European Commission must prove that it can provide humane alternatives to the migration issue instead of just shelling out money to dodgy regimes with poor human rights records. People will continue to try and come to Europe but through humanitarian visas we can ensure that those who are in dire need of safety do not have to risk their lives to find it."