Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-10-26-Speech-3-278-000"
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"en.20111026.19.3-278-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am disappointed that we are once again having to discuss the deadlock on the resettlement issue.
We voted on this over a year ago, but technical considerations continue to stand in the way of discussions. This is a far cry from the concerns of refugees who live in extremely precarious conditions, without any prospect of their situation improving.
Now more than ever, we need to take urgent action to finally solve the institutional deadlock that we have been in for too long. Our objective must be to offer practical assistance to the growing number of people seeking resettlement.
Let us be honest, granting international protection to those who need it is not simply about granting them a status – even if this is already difficult. It is not just a piece of paper with a stamp on it. No, this is about giving these people the means to rebuild their lives in a safe environment. The figures speak for themselves. In 2010, only 4 700 refugees were resettled in the European Union, which is 4.4% of all those who were resettled during that year. In respect of this somewhat poor record – for that is what it is – let us remember that this programme is aimed at encouraging the Member States to join the collective solidarity movement to which countries like the United States and Canada are already broadly committed. Figures aside, however, it is also the actual content of resettlement and the quality of the European scheme that matter.
This scheme must be based on a number of essential elements. I will mention three: a clear definition of the selection criteria based on notions of vulnerability and protection needs; satisfactory reception conditions as well as access to health care, in particular in the area of mental health, to help refugees get back on their feet; and access to employment or training, along with language lessons to help them become more independent as quickly as possible.
We are constantly being bombarded with austerity talk, and the argument that it would cost far too much to accommodate refugees. I should like to take this opportunity to point out that if we do not get ourselves out of this stalemate, the money available in the European Refugee Fund could well be unusable by 2013. This just does not make sense.
The European Union has responsibilities which it can no longer evade. The Member States must commit themselves to making more places available. Good intentions are no longer enough. They must be translated into action."@en1
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