In a letter sent in early March to Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, stresses the need for “any action on asylum and migration to be firmly underpinned by human rights, effective solidarity and responsibility sharing”.
In the letter, which was published on Tuesday 17 March, Mijatović sets out a series of observations that “that could inform the preparation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum”.
The observations regarding the fundamental rights of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, in the EU Member States and in the area immediately surrounding it are structured around seven themes: - reception emergencies; - saving lives at sea, where she refers to a recommendation published in June 2019; - solidarity; - migration cooperation with third countries; - protecting rights at borders; - immigration detention, and the need to defend civil society human rights defenders.
The Commissioner stated that “tackling the issue of the criminalisation of NGOs and individuals working with migrants and asylum seekers is of key importance”. She said she was “particularly concerned about the backlash against civil society actors” who play a crucial role in many areas of asylum and migration policy and who, she believes, face increasing pressure and restrictions.
To read the letter, go to: https://bit.ly/2UhmkqT (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)