COMECE: Migration and Asylum Pact, 7 “recommendations” to EU politicians. Concrete solidarity among States for better management of flows

The statement released today by COMECE on International Migrants Day includes some “policy recommendations” to EU institutional negotiators that are shaping the new Pact on Migration and Asylum. First of all, there is a need to “fully preserve the access to asylum as a fundamental human right for anyone in need of international protection and to treat in a humane way any person that comes to our borders”. Second, there is a need “to offer a safe space to those fleeing their countries due to persecution or war”. The third recommendation is “to exercise concrete solidarity among Member States for a better management of the influx of asylum seekers and migrants at the EU external borders”. The fourth is “to ensure that the identification of third-country nationals approaching EU borders – a legitimate right of every State to protect its own communities and citizens from any potential threat and danger – is conducted in line with an approach that puts at its core the dignity of every person”. The fifth is “to implement a larger number of safe and regular channels that would not only improve migratory flow management but also reduce irregular migration and the overburdening of border controls”. The sixth is “to guarantee the right to access asylum under just conditions, including: legal advice, the right to appeal, sufficient time to examine properly each individual claim, a limited and proportionate use of detention, the respect for the unity of migrant and refugee families, tailor-made border controls for individuals and families in more vulnerable situations, a particular care of families with children and of unaccompanied minors, facilitating their reunification with their respective families, and a monitoring mechanism for fundamental rights at the external borders”. And the seventh is “to provide a safe and dignified accommodation throughout the duration of legal procedures. While acknowledging hosting countries’ constraints in accommodating migrants, we urge the avoidance of solutions that might lead to the establishment of camps with perilous conditions”.
Gianni Borsa