Members of the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee held their first exchange of views on Tuesday 11 April on the recent Commission proposals to improve the policy for returning illegal immigrants (see EUROPE 11737).
Unsurprisingly, these proposals clashed with the positions of certain MEPs, who are concerned about the way in which the fundamental rights of the people concerned will be respected. Several MEPs highlighted the need to ensure that the people targeted do not have to wait too long for their return and that the member states provide assurances that the return agreements include concrete measures to accompany these people, once they have been returned to their countries of origin.
The detention of people subject to return decisions provoked a response from some MEPs, such as Dietmar Köster (S&D, Germany), who asked whether the detention of migrants was indeed compatible with the rule of law.
Many of them highlighted what emphasis should be given to children and the initiatives to take to improve their well-being. On Tuesday, the Commission explained that, sometimes, the best thing for unaccompanied children arriving the EU was to, “bring in their family from their country of origin”.
On Wednesday 12 April, the Commission is due to present a whole raft of different action to take to strengthen children’s rights in the context of migration. A Commission representative explained on Tuesday morning that it was perhaps necessary to clarify the status of these unaccompanied minors because the status “sometimes leads to grey areas” and complicates the measures for caring for these children. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)