Enough with the deaths of men, women and children at sea. Response from the President of the European Parliament - 11/10/2022

Link Petition

https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/immediate-release-of-migrants-and-refugees-to-detention-centers-in-libya.html

 

TEXT LETTER

Dear Ms Ribecco,

The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit of the European Parliament (AskEP) acknowledges receipt of your letter sent on 12 September 2022 to the President of the European Parliament, Ms Roberta Metsola.

Our Unit has been asked to reply.

Please rest assured that your message has been read attentively.

We would like to underline that, addressing the European Parliament plenary session on 3 October 2022, President Metsola firmly stated that we “need to find a way forward on migration that looks at the issue in a holistic, humane, European way”. She stressed that when “young girls are dying of thirst in our seas then that is a failure of our shared humanity”.

The President of the European Parliament clearly said that we “can and we must do better”. She added that we “must find a way forward. For all those who lost their lives, for all the victims of traffickers, for all those mothers waiting for news that will never come”.

Regarding the European Parliament position, we would like to draw your attention to a resolution of February 2021 on the implementation of the Anti-Trafficking Directive. In the resolution, MEPs reminded “the Member States that the lack of safe and legal migration pathways for asylum seekers increases their vulnerability to trafficking as they can be exploited both during transit and upon arrival”.

The European Parliament resolution also called “on the Member States to provide more safe and legal routes for migration such as humanitarian visas in order to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable individuals”.

On May 2021, MEPs adopted a resolution on human rights protection and the EU external migration policy. The European Parliament emphasised “the urgent need for safe and legal migration and protection routes to be created and strengthened in order to guarantee human rights and avoid loss of life”.

Moreover, in a resolution of September 2021 on the situation in Afghanistan, the European Parliament reiterated “its call on the Commission to publish a legislative proposal for humanitarian visas”.

In addition, in September 2022, in a resolution on “Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood – a new agenda for the Mediterranean”, MEPs stressed that “the EU should facilitate safe routes for asylum-seekers and refugees into the EU”.

We would like to underline that the European Parliament and the other EU institutions as well the EU countries are intensifying efforts to establish an effective, humanitarian and safe European migration policy. By deploying different programmes, over 586 000 people have been rescued in the Mediterranean since 2015.

Furthermore, since 2015, successful EU-sponsored resettlement schemes have helped more than 98 000 of the most vulnerable people, in need of international protection, find shelter in the EU. The 2021-2022 scheme for the first time included pledges for humanitarian admissions, in addition to the pledges for resettlement. Together with humanitarian admission programmes, EU member states have so far offered protection to about 130 000 people.

In September 2020, the European Commission proposed a New Pact on Migration and Asylum. It covers the different elements needed for a comprehensive European approach to migration and sets out improved and faster procedures throughout the asylum and migration system. Moreover, it sets in balance the principles of fair sharing of responsibility and solidarity, which is crucial for rebuilding trust between Member States and confidence in the capacity of the EU to manage migration.

The legislative proposals currently on the table include a proposal to establish a permanent EU resettlement framework. The EU resettlement framework aims to provide for legal and safe pathways to the EU, reduce the risk of massive irregular arrivals in the long term and provide common rules for resettlement and humanitarian admission.

The 2022 Report on migration and asylum was published on 6 October 2022. The report takes stock of the progress achieved in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum in the past year. For more information, you can consult the European Commission press release.

On 7 September 2022, the European Parliament and five rotating Council Presidencies committed to work together to adopt the reform of the EU migration and asylum rules before the 2024 EU elections.

For more information on EU asylum reform, you can consult the EU Council webpage.

We hope that this information will be of interest to you and thank you for contacting the President of the European Parliament.

Yours sincerely,

Citizens' Enquiries Unit (AskEP)

www.europarl.europa.eu/askEP/en