2024-10-17 16:15:00
Ahead of the meeting of heads of state and government of EU member states on 17 and 18 October, Amnesty International calls on European leaders to focus their efforts on humane and sustainable refugee and migrant policies and to firmly reject proposed establish “repatriation centers”. “outside the EU.
The “return centres” are incompatible with international and EU law, undermine the recently adopted European Pact on Migration and Asylum and are contrary to the assessment carried out by the Commission itself in 2018, according to which these programs “present significant legal and legal challenges how practical”, “they threaten to violate the principle of non-refoulement (not rejection)” and it is questionable whether they are “consistent with EU values”.
“The European Commission’s shameful U-turn on return centers and other so-called ‘innovative ways’ to combat migration are extremely alarming. “For years, the Commission has avoided responding to Member States who blatantly ignore both international and EU asylum law, and now appears willing to promote its own proposals which are incompatible with human rights and international law “, said Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s Office of European Institutions.
“Governments know that attempts to send people, without due process guarantees, to countries with which they have no relationship are illegal, unfeasible and economically costly”
“Governments know that attempts to send people, without due process guarantees, to countries with which they have no relationship are illegal, impractical and economically costly. “These programs, where they have been implemented, have led to catastrophic human rights violations, while having a disastrous impact on asylum seekers.”
“EU leaders must abandon debates on ‘outsourcing’ or ‘offshoring’ responsibilities for refugee protection outside the EU’s borders. Instead of these cruel experiments, the ruling class must focus its efforts on reaffirming the right to asylum in Europe and on investing in well-functioning asylum and reception systems capable of supporting the people arriving in Europe and the communities they welcome them. “
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On the eve of the European summit, President Ursula von der Leyen he wrote Member states promise “innovative ways” to deal with irregular arrivals, citing the Italy-Albania protocolimplemented this week, as an example to follow. Under this program, Italy began transferring some groups of asylum seekers to detention centers in Albania, where their applications would be examined.
Amnesty International did it warned repeatedly whereas these measures give rise to rights violations, including automatic and arbitrary detention, endanger the life and physical integrity of people rescued at sea, pose an increased risk to children and people in vulnerable situations, undermine the access to asylum with all the necessary procedural guarantees, and increase the risk of rejection.
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