The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held a current affairs debate on Wednesday morning on ”the need for an effective solidarity mechanism to relieve migratory pressure on frontline countries”. It was held at the initiative of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, which, after a visit to the island of Lesbos last May, undertook to relay to the European authorities the concerns of the 6,000 or so people housed in the temporary reception centre in Mavrovouni, set up after the fire in Mória.
Most of them come from Afghanistan and Syria, 40% of them are children, and they “complain about the food, the state of their tents and the very poor hygiene conditions”, while waiting “desperately “ for a response to their asylum application, said Swiss Socialist Pierre-Alain Fridez, speaking on behalf of the committee.
Faced with this dramatic situation, the response provided by the new Pact on Migration and Asylum proposed by the European Commission “does not show sufficient solidarity”, both with frontline countries and with people in need of minimum protection, he said, calling for respect for the Council of Europe’s values.
Greece is doing its best to fulfil its responsibility as a host country, said Notis Mitarachi, Greek Minister of Asylum and Migration, including through its participation in the HELIOS programme run in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration. However, he also believes that “the European Commission’s - bureaucratic - proposal is not up to the task”, notably because it “lacks automaticity”.
“We argue that the European Union needs a standing permanent mechanism that allows for impactful solidarity to be delivered immediately when needed”, Mitarachi said. “Migratory pressure can escalate within days, and we need to be assured that the solidarity mechanisms can deliver in this situation”.
To have an impact, solidarity measures “must not only involve the European Union”, he added. “It should involve all the members of the Council of Europe” and go “beyond the Commission’s proposal”.
At the close of the debate, which also included parliamentarians from Spain, Turkey, Croatia, Ukraine and Morocco - a Council of Europe observer country - Rik Daems, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, recalled that this current affairs debate did not give rise to a vote, but could be referred by the Bureau to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons for a subsequent report. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)