Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-24-Speech-2-345"
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"en.20091124.33.2-345"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, firstly I wish to inform you of the sadness felt by many Europeans when, on 20 October, two EU Member States organised the forced return of Afghan immigrants: three from France, and 24 from the United Kingdom. Those men, who left a country at war in order to come to Europe, thinking that they could seek asylum and protection here, have thus been sent back to a country that is still at war, in which their safety cannot by any means be guaranteed.
This turns our idea of human rights on its head. And imagine my surprise, a few days later, when I saw – obviously there is a link – the European summit make provision not only for the organisation of common charter flights but also for their financing – which is a new development – out of the European budget!
Commissioner, this is not the Europe that we love. Europe is not there to legitimise national practices that violate fundamental rights. It is too easy to put the blame on Europe. When I hear, for example, the French immigration minister declare that forced returns should be carried out under the banner of Europe, I tell you now that the founding fathers did not invent Europe for that purpose.
You asked Paris and London to ensure that the deported Afghans did indeed have an opportunity to seek asylum, that this request was rejected and that their lives were not in danger in the region to which they were returned. I would therefore like explicit confirmation from you that an individual examination of each of the asylum applications was indeed carried out.
I would also like to know whether the Commission regards Afghanistan as a safe country, and if it does not, I would like to know whether the Commission agrees that this forced return was carried out in violation of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention.
I am very grateful for any explanations you can give us."@en1
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