Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
People on the Move -
N° 87,
December 2001
Churches:
EU must welcome Immigrants,
protect People in Danger
PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 28th May2001
Caritas Europa
CCME– Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe
COMECE– Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community
ICMC– International Catholic Migration Commission
Justice and Peace- Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions
JRS-Europe– Jesuit Refugee Service Europe
QCEA– Quaker Council for European Affairs
Seven Christian organisations today issue
statements welcoming the European Commission’s plans to create legal channels
for labour migration, and underlining the fundamental importance of making
Europe a “welcoming society” with a humane, transparent and coherent
immigration policy. The comments are made in the course of a detailed response
to EU plans for a harmonized policy on asylum and immigration, set out in two
Communications by the European Commission last November.
Respect the dignity of undocumented migrants
The EU must also deal with the question of
undocumented migrants currently living on its territory, according to the Church
organisations. “A person who exercises his or her right to search for better
living conditions should not be considered as a criminal simply for doing so”
say the Churches, calling on EU States to help irregular migrants, who are often
deprived of the most basic human rights, and hugely vulnerable to exploitation.
“Human dignity is fundamental and has to be respected regardless of whether
someone has documents or not. The Churches stand for this in society and call on
the EU to do so as well”.
Include accession countries in the migration debate
In relation to the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe hoping to join the EU, the organisations point out that the
possible East-West migration within the enlarged Union is often exaggerated in
the debate on the enlargement of the EU. Accession countries are facing their
own problems of demographic decline, and must be included as widely as possible
in the process of planning for immigration.
Provide legal access for people seeking protection
Most fundamental of all, say the Churches, it is
vital that those who are forced to flee their countries under threat of
persecution have access to a country where they can apply for asylum. The Church
organisations warn that measures taken to prevent irregular migration, such as
fines for airlines that carry undocumented passengers, create a real risk that
people will be sent back into situations of danger. No-one should risk being
punished for helping someone to escape to a place of safety.
Improve quality of decision-making
The seven organisations echo the Commission’s
call for rapid high-quality decision-making in asylum cases, and note their
concern that current flaws in the procedures are a significant factor why asylum
systems often fail to recognise the very people they were designed to help.
“The principle of refugee protection is non-negotiable”, underline the
Churches. “Quite simply, no-one may ever be sent back into a situation where
he or she will be persecuted”.
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