Brussels, 07/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - Following the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling on the return of a family of Afghan asylum seekers from Switzerland to Italy, Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has called for an action plan to ease the burden on states at a time when the numbers of refugees are exceptionally high. She also spoke of gaps in the protection offered by the Dublin Convention, the Swiss media report.
“We are continuing to examine the judgment”, the minister said in Bern on Thursday 6 November, the annual Swiss Federal Commission on Migration issues (FCM) day. Not all countries implement the Dublin Convention and “collaboration is proving difficult”, Sommaruga noted, underlining that the effect of the ruling must not be over-estimated. While this ruling does not fundamentally put the Dublin system in question, the minister notes that “this agreement has always had gaps and it always will”.
Nevertheless, she does not see any worthy alternative. “Europe and the European Commission must continue to improve the system”, she said.
Switzerland is among the top European countries in terms of numbers of asylum requests, along with France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The European Commissioner with responsibility for migration and internal affairs has promised a comprehensive action plan on migration, with the Commission now about to adopt its work programme and to set a timetable. (SP)