Brussels, 12/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - In Strasbourg on Tuesday 12 April, the Parliament adopted the non-legislative report by Roberta Metsola (EPP, Malta) and Kashetu Kyenge (S&D, Italy) on the long-term management of migration in the EU (see EUROPE 11513). The report chiefly calls for a radical revision of the Dublin system which, the MEPs argue, should be centralised. The report was adopted by 459 votes in favour, 206 votes against and 52 abstentions.
The Parliament also called for safe and legal channels for third-country nationals to enter the Union without having to resort to smugglers and risk their lives. In this non-binding resolution, the MEPs flag up the failure of the European asylum system to deal with the ever-increasing number of migrants arriving and call for a radical overhaul of the so-called Dublin rules. They propose the creation of a central system to collect together and divide up asylum applications. This system, which could include a quote for each member state of the EU, would work on the basis of hotspots, from which the refugees would be shared out, the Parliament explains.
“There is no simple solution or miracle cure to the question of migration. We need more emergency solutions and a sustainable approach for the future”, Metsola told the plenary debate. “We should not fight migrations, but manage them”, said Kyenge, adding that the European approach should be based on solidarity and the sharing of responsibilities. In its resolution, the EP also calls upon the member states to respect their obligations regarding emergency relocation measures and, for resettlement, wants a “binding and obligatory legislative mechanism”.
A number of MEPs, such as Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, UK), feel this report has “missed the boat”. The Conservative MEP feels that the radical options on Dublin “will lead to nothing” and that the report was overly mealy-mouthed on issues such as returns.
The ALDE feels that the report is well-balanced and an important stage towards “creating a functioning asylum system”, said Cecilia Wikström. Barbara Spinnelli of the GUE/NGL said that the resolution has positive aspects, but would have preferred it to give the opportunity to speak out against the EU/Turkey agreement. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)