Brussels, 14/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) President Staffan Nilsson has urged European Union countries to show proof of solidarity when it comes to managing the flow of migrants from southern Mediterranean countries. He said “Member states need to act in a spirit of solidarity and uphold this value that is so fundamental to the European Union”, adding: “If this means burden-sharing of migration flow, whatever form that might take, then that is what needs to be done”.
Nilsson states in a press release: “Action is needed now to prevent people losing their lives in the pursuit of freedom. Managing migration flows and asylum seekers hinges on a number of key variables: safeguarding of human rights, solidarity among member states, coordination of policies and legislation in this field and proper funding. But most of all, the EU's political identity and values are closely bound up with safeguarding human rights. Failure to do so would greatly damage the EU's internal and external credibility as a political and democratic body”.
The EESC considers that a “truly functional, common European asylum system is the most effective and sustainable response both to the need to protect people at risk and to the concomitant impact on the member states. In this spirit, we need to provide minimum care services for asylum seekers and meet minimum interpreting requirements”. At this time, as southern European countries are having to manage thousands of refugees from North African countries, “we need to act on the world solidarity”, Staffan Nilsson said, adding that “there are no borders on solidarity in the EU”. (S.P./transl.jl)