Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-03-09-Speech-1-163"
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"en.20090309.19.1-163"2
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".
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in the last year the number of refugees worldwide has increased. The figure now stands at approximately 12 million. If we include those who are internally displaced, this rises to more than 26 million people worldwide who are in need of the same kind of protection. The reason for this is that wars continue to exist in the world; at present there are 4 million Iraqi refugees and displaced people, and it is clear that these refugees are a consequence of wars that our countries played a part in starting.
The creation of a common European asylum policy is necessary because, under the rule of law, we have an obligation to guarantee that these people are received equally throughout the European Union. This becomes all the more important if we consider that some Member States do not yet have a systematic law on asylum. I note with regret that harmonisation of asylum procedures has been deferred for two years, meaning that it will be implemented in 2012. We must put an end to the awful disparity that exists between the Member States and the different asylum systems. We are at present in a paradoxical situation whereby recognition rates of candidates to refugee status for certain third country nationals vary from approximately 0% up to 90% depending on which Member State receives the request.
Harmonisation of standards should result in a high level of protection throughout the EU and should not be based on the lowest common denominator. The institution of asylum is an essential part of our democracy and the protection of human rights, and it is unacceptable that it has been severely eroded in recent years, as the needs of asylum seekers and the principle of non-refoulement laid down in international conventions have not always been respected. The European Union should provide for mechanisms at the external borders to identify asylum seekers and ensure that persons entitled to international protection gain access to its territory, including in the context of its external border control operations. For this reason we consider it appropriate to review the role of Frontex, which often handles asylum seekers as if they were illegal immigrants.
With this report, the European Parliament is asking Frontex to provide detailed data relating to the number of asylum seekers identified as such during its operations and the plight of persons intercepted and sent back to a country of transit or origin. We must ensure that international conventions are correctly applied, as well as cooperation agreements with third countries. Agreements cannot be made with countries that have not signed the Geneva Convention. Many Member States ignore this, however, including Italy, which has signed an agreement on managing migration flows with Libya, a country that does not intend to sign the Geneva Convention on refugees.
We are very pleased – we have emphasised this and hope that it comes across in this report – that the Court of Justice has annulled the article of the Asylum Procedure Directive concerning the creation of the concept of ‘safe third countries’ and a common list of safe third countries. In our view, there can be no such thing as a ‘safe third country’; it is an erroneous concept, since any citizen can be persecuted even in countries with high democratic standards.
Asylum seekers are vulnerable people who require appropriate reception conditions. Member States cannot detain people for the sole reason that they are applying for international protection. I would therefore argue, as a matter of principle, that asylum seekers should not be detained. Unfortunately in many Member States the detention of asylum seekers is still a reality, due to the fact that they enter the country illegally. Regrettably, and I will conclude with this point, there is no other way to enter the European Union. This is the paradox: even asylum seekers must be subject to mixed flows to enter the EU. Asylum is not a concession: asylum is a duty for states and a right for those fleeing war."@en1
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