The S&D Group has criticised the European Commission's proposal for a reformed Common European Asylum System which was presented today at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
S&D shadow rapporteur for the proposal, Elly Schlein, said:
"The Dublin system, under which refugees must apply for asylum in the first EU country they reach, has failed. It has left countries on Europe's borders, such as Italy or Greece, to face the burden alone and let other countries shun their humanitarian responsibilities. It is clear that a complete overhaul of this current system is needed to get to grips with the crisis and provide a sustainable asylum policy for Europe. The current proposals from the Commission are not good enough."
"Continuing the policies of the last few years with only minor tweaks is not acceptable. We need a centralised European system that allocates refugees in a fair and transparent way. This must go hand in hand with increased funding to help refugees integrate into European society and clearer legal paths for refugees into Europe. Simply continuing with the status quo is not an option – we will fight hard in the European Parliament to ensure Europe finally gets an asylum policy that is fit for purpose."
