Forty-three organizations and cities in Europe are asking on Friday 11 December that the proposed reform of migration policy presented by Brussels be amended, an “
unbalanced
”
text
which is to be discussed by European officials on Monday.
Read also: Brussels unveils its new migration pact
“
Obviously oriented towards returns, prevention of arrivals and border protection, without any effective solidarity distribution mechanism for the refugees received, the Pact (on migration and asylum) seems to forget that the foundations of the right to asylum rest on a dignified reception of asylum seekers and respect for their fundamental rights
”, write in a
press
release these associations (including several French women such as France, the land of asylum),
European
“
welcoming
”
organizations and cities
.
For them, the “
Pact
” proposed by the European Commission in September is “
therefore unbalanced: it offers early processing of asylum and immigration applications through border procedures where confinement will appear to arrivals as the first face of Europe, while solidarity between Member States for the reception will remain an optional option
”.
The text has already been the subject of an outcry from several European countries, sometimes for opposite reasons, some denouncing an overly restrictive pact in terms of reception, others, like the front-line countries. in the arrival of migrants (Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta), calling for more solidarity.
In a joint letter at the end of November, the latter had also pointed out the "
imbalances between solidarity and responsibility
" induced by the pact.
The Migration Pact is to be discussed on Monday at a meeting of the twenty-seven interior ministers.
"
If it stays there, it will not convince either the countries most concerned, or all the actors, elected officials, or associations, who do not want the status quo
", resume the 43 signatories of the joint declaration, denouncing "
the dead end
”of the current migration policy.
They call on "
the European institutions and the Member States to change this pact for an asylum and immigration policy that respects fundamental rights and the conditions of '' living together '' in Europe
".