Brussels, 25/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption (by 285 votes to 213 and 14 abstentions) of the report by Jorge Hernandez Mollar (EPP-Ed, Spain) on minimum norms for hosting asylum seekers in Member States, the European Parliament amends the Commission's proposal in order to clarify and simplify the text. During the vote, the EPP-ED group attempted to oppose the many amendments voted with a view to improving the quality of welcome of refugee candidates by the parliamentary committee, but it was systematically placed in a minority position by the left-wing groups, the Greens and the Liberals. The plenary, especially, rejected (by 225 votes to 277 and 8 abstentions) the amendments by Mr Hernandez Mollar on behalf of his group aimed at facilitating refusal or detention of asylum seekers.
The Parliament specifies that the request for asylum concerns the request of any form of international protection, whether it is presented on the basis of Article 1A of the Geneva Convention or whether it is any other form of protection granted by a Member State. It hopes to ensure: - material conditions of hosting including a minimum of housing, food and clothing, provided in kind or in the form of financial allowances; - that the Member States should ensure minors benefit from linguistic assistance especially when their lack of knowledge of the language of the host country makes normal education impossible; - that the Member States authorise the asylum seekers and the members of their families who accompany them to have access to the labour market as soon as possible, within four months after presenting their request "the frivolity and the demagogy that results from it will provoke negative consequences in Member States, which is currently the case in France". Austrian MEP, Hubert Pirker from the EPP-DE group indicated that around 500, 000 people apply for political asylum every year and want the statues of refugee, whereas only 10% of these applications are allowed. Mr Pirker called for all abuses to be fought and said that the EPP-DE group was against the free movement of refugees within the EU and against immediate access to professional training. Dutch MEP Joke Sweibel (PES) stressed that the EU should not be guided by those who wanted to use immigrants for electoral fodder. Olle Schmidt, speaking for the ELDR (Sweden) insisted that the fundamental rights must be at the foundation of all asylum policy, which should be made more flexible, notably in family policy and employment and education rights. Fodé Sylla (GUE/NGL, France) also insisted on family stability. Commissioner Franz Fischler indicated that the Commission would take into account the amendments on refugee policies at a different phase in the setting up of a common asylum policy.
Mr Pirker explained that they wanted a policy that was acceptable to their populations and "didn't want another Le Pen". He also believed that the European Commission, as well as the Council would throw out many of the amendments of the Left and Liberals. He believed that Commissioner Fischler had clearly confirmed the political line of the European Popular Party.
- - - - - - - -