Strasbourg, 19/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - The two European Parliament rapporteurs on migration-related challenges in the EU, Roberta Metsola (EPP, Malta) and Cécile Kashetu Kyenge (S&D, Italy), again called on member states to respect their commitments on the reception of refugees and the strengthening of the EU's external borders, in order to maintain the Schengen area of free movement.
The two MEPs were speaking on Tuesday 19 January at a press conference, the day after a discussion on their own initiative report prepared the previous evening at the Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE). In practice, the two MEPs are putting forward “policy recommendations” in the report and calling on the member states to make an effort in a range of different areas, such as at sea rescues. They believe that they need to go further than what is currently being done by the Frontex agency and in the Triton operation. All acts of solidarity to those rescued at sea, should also be decriminalised.
In the area of relocation (at least 300 people have been resettled in the EU out of the 160,000 requiring resettlement over a two-year period), the two MEPs called on member states to play their role and share their responsibilities appropriately. A “binding approach” is also required for resettling refugees, and as well as legal opportunities for migration by way of “humanitarian visas”.
Refugees should be prevented from taking to the sea and falling into the hands of the traffickers, explained the two MEPs. They also said that they needed to ensure that the returns policy was functioning better and that people who do not have the right to protection can be sent back more quickly.
The report also highlights revision of the Dublin regulation, which is planned by the European Commission in March. Kyenge said “We also need to plan the allocations per country, in an effort to attain a certain quota”.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 31,244 have arrived in Greece since the beginning of January. The IOM expects the number of those arriving to exceed figures for 2015, when 853,650 people arrived in Greece. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)