Leading S&D MEPs are disappointed by the decision of the European Commission to give up on a serious reform of the EU’s migration and asylum system.

S&D Group president Udo Bullmann said:

“The European Commission has been bold in proposing a compulsory solidarity system. Now it seems to have has finally given up on this idea. Decoupling the two most relevant aspects of the reform of the EU migration and asylum policy and moving forward only with border security and the return of migrants is the wrong approach and does not address the core migration and asylum challenge: shared responsibility.

“We need to get out of the mind-set that migration can be dealt with by simply shutting our borders. Continuing instability in Africa and the Middle East, climate change, and extreme disparities in wealth means that migration is going to remain high on the political agenda for the years to come. We need a holistic approach to manage this challenge - both focusing on better managing our external borders but also ensuring a fair sharing of responsibility between all member states. If we do not reform the Dublin system then pressure will continue to fall on some EU countries in an unsustainable way, while others continue to shun their responsibilities. This could lead to disastrous consequences. S&Ds have continuously fought for ensuring long-term sustainable solutions to migration; we cannot be satisfied with the partial proposals set out by the Commission.

“We can manage migration together only with a global political partnership with countries of origin and transit. Work done with these partners should be intensified. Conditionality with development cooperation is and has never been the answer nor has it ever worked. A long-term solution relies on real mutually beneficial relationships with African countries - solid partnerships, not short-term fixes to keep the crisis out of sight.”

 

 

MEPs involved
Coordinator
Germany