On Tuesday 9 November, members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) called on the European Commission and on Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson to take decisive action against Belarus, which is using migrants “as a weapon”, as Fabienne Keller (Renew Europe, France) put it.
But some members also demanded that the EU should not behave in the same way as the Belarusian regime and should allow these people to apply for asylum and be treated with dignity, as thousands of them waited at the Polish-Belarusian border on Tuesday, mostly in the cold and without shelter.
MEPs were discussing with the Commissioner the European Commission’s action plan against migrant smugglers, proposed in September (see EUROPE 12801/1). A plan in which the European Commission has for the first time asked Member States to consider a type of sanction specifically related to State-organised smuggling networks.
On Tuesday, the Commissioner reiterated that the proper implementation of sanctions against all actors exploiting and benefiting from migrants is essential. She also mentioned other tools such as the e-evidence regulation and the directive on sanctions against employers of illegal workers, who are sometimes “not even paid” and do not have access to health or other services.
This is a widespread phenomenon, particularly in the construction and domestic work sectors.
The Commissioner also confirmed that the forthcoming revision of the Schengen Code, scheduled for 1 December at this stage, would include measures to address this new phenomenon with Belarus.
It was this news that focused the attention of elected representatives on Tuesday afternoon. When asked about the actions to be taken, the Commissioner said, as did some elected officials, that it was necessary to “turn off the tap” and to succeed in stopping these arrivals. This requires, in addition to sanctions, the support and involvement of actors such as the UN and other international partners, she said.
Asked specifically by Dutch Greens MEP Tineke Strik about how Poland was meeting its “moral, legal and humanitarian” obligations, especially regarding the right to asylum, the Commissioner stressed that Poland could benefit from EU assistance, as had been the case with Lithuania this summer.
“From the beginning they contacted the Commission, they were transparent right away, and the Commission helped them right away”, she said. “We need transparency to know what is going on”, the Commissioner said, adding that the EU is “weak” without a common border policy.
Clare Daly (The Left, Ireland) said that while what Belarus is doing is “horrific”, it could not be doing it “without the failure of Poland and others to have a real asylum policy”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)