Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-08-Speech-1-111"
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"en.20020408.8.1-111"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I wish to concentrate on the ARGO programme and begin by thanking Mr Oostlander for a good report. At the committee reading, a number of proposals went through which further strengthened the programme’s common dimension.
Mr President, it cannot be emphasised enough how important it is for the EU to acquire a common approach when it comes to asylum issues. It is important, then, for the administrative routines to operate similarly everywhere. Those who try to come to Europe must be treated respectfully, humanely and equally. They must not be shunted like mere objects between the various Member States, as unfortunately often happens at present.
Events in recent years indicate very clearly the need for common programmes and common funding within the sphere of asylum. Just as other MEPs have stated, there is a need for education, the exchange of experiences and the development of common practice. The candidate countries, which will form the EU’s new external borders, are also important in this context, of course.
Unfortunately – and this, I think, is something that deserves to be pointed out – the EU’s refugee and asylum policy has in recent years been characterised mostly by directly opposite tendencies. The Member States have often acted short-sightedly and without proper consideration, with catastrophic human suffering as a consequence. Sometimes, the thought arises as to whether certain Member States have competed in setting aside humanitarianism and the rule of law.
As Mr Oostlander pointed out, the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party has tabled an amendment concerning a further definition of what precisely constitutes a refugee under the Geneva Convention. The latter certainly constitutes the mainstay of asylum and refugee policy, but it makes sense to adapt one’s practice to changes in the real state of affairs. As Mr Evans pointed out, experience in recent years has shown that this is so. Refugees must be able to seek protection both from the State and from persecution in their own countries, and a further definition is therefore needed. We therefore propose such a definition, and we hope that this House can also accept our proposal."@en1
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