The European Parliament’s civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee today voted in favour of a report on new proposals for rules on resettling refugees to the EU. Following pressure from the S&D Group, the Parliament report calls for significantly more protection for vulnerable people than the original proposal from the European Commission.
S&D Group spokesperson for civil liberties, justice and home affairs, Birgit Sippel MEP said:
“A functioning European asylum system needs fair rules on the resettlement of refugees from countries outside the EU. In order to become a credible partner in the world, the EU needs to establish legal pathways for those that need protection. By linking the UNHCR´s Global Resettlement needs with the EU´s commitment to resettle 20% of those in need, the EU can step up and contribute to a global solution. The proposal from the European Commission to update these rules was positive but did not address certain key areas. We have insisted that the resettlement should not be conditional on co-operation on border control. We have a legal obligation to help those fleeing war and persecution and this should not be linked to measures to prevent illegal migration into Europe.”
S&D Group spokesperson for the report on resettlement, Kati Piri MEP said:
“We need to ensure that the EU is helping to protect those in the most vulnerable positions. We therefore insisted that family reunification is not included in the figures for resettlement. Families have the right to be reunited and this must be treated separately to the general principle of resettling those who are most in need. We also ensured that those who have tried to reach the EU illegally are not excluded from the resettlement programme. Thousands of people fleeing war and persecution had no legal or safe way to reach Europe, the only option was to try through irregular routes. We cannot criminalise or punish people for trying to get protection for themselves or their families.”
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