On the occasion of the International Migrants Day celebrated today, 18 December, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) sets out some basic principles that should guide the ongoing negotiations between the EU institutions on the Pact on Migration and Asylum. “These principles – a statement reads – should orient the policy makers to put in place legislations and mechanisms that ensure a fair, just and humane treatment of every regular or irregular migrant or asylum seeker arriving at EU borders, at any stage of procedures”. Migrants and asylum seekers, according to the text released by COMECE, “are not numbers, but real people that deserve our generosity, solidarity and support”. The ongoing negotiations at EU level “offer a unique opportunity for the EU and its Member States to advance the cause of humanity, faithful to our values and respectful of international commitments”. On the day dedicated to migrants, “designated to recognise the important contribution of migrants and the challenges they face, we would like to encourage EU policy makers to formulate human-centered migration and asylum EU policies, putting into practice the four verbs proposed by Pope Francis: welcome, protect, promote and integrate”.