{"id":5292,"date":"2024-04-11T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T09:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hardcore-hodgkin.138-201-31-57.plesk.page\/?p=5292"},"modified":"2024-08-07T09:05:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T09:05:58","slug":"2260-more-than-160-civil-society-organisations-call-on-meps-to-vote-down-harmful-eu-migration-pact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/news\/item\/2260-more-than-160-civil-society-organisations-call-on-meps-to-vote-down-harmful-eu-migration-pact\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 160 Civil Society Organisations call on MEPs to vote down harmful EU Migration Pact"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Amidst warnings from over<a href=\"https:\/\/picum.org\/blog\/open-letter-eu-human-rights-risks-migration-pact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">&nbsp;50 Civil Society Organisations<\/a>, EU lawmakers reached a political agreement on the EU\u2019s New Pact on Migration and Asylum in December. The agreement is a continuation of a decade of policy that has led to the proliferation of rights violations in Europe. Moreover, it will have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/picum.org\/blog\/human-rights-organisations-days-left-for-eu-legislators-to-save-the-right-to-asylum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">devastating implications<\/a>&nbsp;for the right to international protection in the bloc and greenlights abuses across Europe including racial profiling, default&nbsp;<em>de facto detention.<\/em>&nbsp;detention and pushbacks<strong>.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Next week,<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>MEPs will be presented with a final chance to reject the files in a Plenary vote, and to give a political signal against the adoption of a Pact that would undermine fundamental rights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taken together, the Regulations will usher in a new system for \u2018managing migration\u2019 in the EU that is characterised by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>De facto\u00a0<\/em>detention at borders with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.savethechildren.net\/news\/historically-bad-new-eu-pact-migration-and-asylum-normalises-rights-violations-and-endangers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">no exemption<\/a>\u00a0for families with children of all ages,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/euromedrights.org\/publication\/eu-migration-pact-to-impose-sweeping-new-human-rights-rollback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">accelerated, substandard procedures<\/a>\u00a0to assess asylum claims rather than full and fair assessments, and an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/euromedrights.org\/publication\/eu-migration-pact-to-impose-sweeping-new-human-rights-rollback\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">emphasis on return procedures<\/a>\u00a0with lowered safeguards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Far more asylum applicants will end up in border procedures and, through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ecre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ECRE-Commentary-Fiction-of-Non-Entry-September-2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">\u2018legal fiction of non-entry\u2019<\/a>, will not be considered as on EU territory, which would lead to lower safeguards and heightens the risk of human rights violations and pushbacks at borders. Even unaccompanied children can be subjected to border procedures and held in de facto detention when state authorities consider them a \u2018danger to national security or public order\u2019. Moreover, experience has shown that confining large numbers of people in border areas for prolonged periods leads to chronic overcrowding and inhumane conditions, as witnessed on the Aegean islands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through the broadening of the \u2018safe third country\u2019 principle, people asking for asylum will be declared inadmissible and increasingly deported to countries outside of the EU on the basis of a widely-defined connection with those countries, heightening the risk of refoulement.\u00a0 In the past, this has manifested in failed agreements like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rescue.org\/eu\/article\/what-eu-turkey-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">the EU-Turkey deal<\/a>, externalising the processing of asylum claims to third countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the absence of safe and regular pathways, people seeking safety or livelihoods are forced to take ever more dangerous routes, resulting in 2023 being the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/international\/2024-01-11\/migrant-deaths-and-irregular-arrivals-reached-a-new-high-in-the-eu-in-2023.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">deadliest year on record<\/a>\u00a0since 2015. In the Mediterranean alone, more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/9\/29\/more-than-2500-dead-missing-as-some-186000-cross-mediterranean-in-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">2,500 individuals<\/a>\u00a0were reported as dead or disappeared last year, a figure that is only the tip of the iceberg. The Pact fails to address this, and instead continues to reinforce Fortress Europe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An increase in the use of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/protectnotsurveil.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">surveillance technologies<\/a>\u00a0at all stages of migration and asylum procedures. The Pact represents a step further into the mass surveillance of migrants and racialised people, as more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/homodigitalis.gr\/en\/posts\/131019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">intrusive technology<\/a>\u00a0will be deployed at borders and in detention centres,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/picum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Digital-technology-policing-and-migration-What-does-it-mean-for-undocumented-migrants.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">people\u2019s personal data will be collected in bulk<\/a>\u00a0and exchanged between police forces across the EU, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/picum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Digital-technology-policing-and-migration-What-does-it-mean-for-undocumented-migrants.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">biometric identification systems<\/a>\u00a0will be used to track people\u2019s movements and increase policing of undocumented migrants.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Civil society and human rights watchdogs have consistently reported on systematic violations of the fundamental rights of people seeking safety or livelihood, particularly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.enar-eu.org\/policy-briefing-structural-racism-in-the-new-european-union-pact-on-migration-a-devastating-blow-to-the-right-to-asylum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">racialised communities<\/a>&nbsp;by denying them&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infomigrants.net\/en\/post\/53166\/greek-migrant-camps-malfunctioning-and-overcrowded-warn-ngos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">access to shelter<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/eur150012014en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">&nbsp;services<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infomigrants.net\/en\/post\/53182\/italy-asylum-seeker-reception-system-fragmented-and-inadequate-say-regions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">asylum<\/a>&nbsp;and resorting to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/left.eu\/issues\/publications\/black-book-of-pushbacks-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">pushbacks en masse<\/a>. All this, whilst pursuing policies that seek to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.law.ox.ac.uk\/border-criminologies-blog\/blog-post\/2024\/01\/persisting-challenges-new-european-commissions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">criminalise<\/a>&nbsp;efforts to help refugees and migrants, and even movement at large, which contributes to a shrinking civic space. The Commission put forth the New Pact as a \u2018solution\u2019 for uneven standards in the implementation of a Common European Asylum System across Member States. Yet, the Pact does nothing to remedy this nor support Member States receiving large numbers of arrivals at the external borders. The \u2018first country of entry\u2019 principle remains and there will be no mandatory relocation of people saved through Search and Rescue missions \u2013 an initiative that could have provided humane and sustainable solutions through the proportionate distribution of asylum applicants throughout Europe. Instead, Member States without external EU borders can avoid responsibility-sharing by financing border fortification and immigration detention facilities in border Member States or by funding&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ecre.org\/eu-external-partners-libya-and-tunisia-continue-crimes-and-abuse-eu-continues-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">dubious \u2018projects\u2019<\/a>&nbsp;in non-EU countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The negotiations were rushed towards closure by the European Commission and the Spanish and Belgian Presidencies of the Council, leading to more than 48 hours of marathon trilogue negotiations and the abandonment of the last minimal safeguards that had been upheld by the Parliament. What remains is an extremely complex legislative framework that does not provide any effective solution to the migration management issues raised over the past years, and fails to keep people safe. The agreement, at its core, replicates every principle of the Council\u2019s negotiating mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We, the undersigned, call on MEPs to reject the Pact in the Plenary vote. It creates a system whereby the right to seek asylum in the EU is severely threatened and will engender a proliferation of human rights violations against people across Europe due to their migration status.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signing Organisations:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A World of Neighbours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A.S.G.I. (Associazione per gli Studi Giuridici sull\u2019Immigrazione)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Abolish FronteX<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access Now<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ActionAid International<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>aditus foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>African Children and Youth Development Network (ACYDN)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AiA-Alternative Informatics Association<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alboan<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AMERA International<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Amnesty International<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Andaluc\u00eda Acoge<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ARCI<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Association for Legal Information (SIP)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Association promotion droits humains (Migration et droit)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Associazione ricreativa e culturale italiana (ARCI)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avocats Sans Fronti\u00e8res<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be Aware And Share (BAAS)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Better Days Greece<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Birlikte Ya\u015famak \u0130stiyoruz \u0130nisiyatifi (We Want to Live Together \u0130nitiative) \/ T\u00fcrkiye (Turkey)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bits of Freedom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Boat Refugee Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Center for Legal Aid \u2013 Voice in Bulgaria<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Centre for Peace Studies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changemakers Lab<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Churches\u00b4Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CILD<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CIR\u00c9 asbl<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CNCD-11.11.11<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colectivo Indignado<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colectivos en lucha Extremadura<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Collective Aid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comisi\u00f3n Espa\u00f1ola de Ayuda al Refugiado (CEAR)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Community Peacemaker Solidarity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CONVIVE \u2013 Fundaci\u00f3n Cepaim<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coordinadora Obrim Fronteres<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diotima \u2013 Centre for Gender Rights and Equality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dr\u00e5pen i Havet \/ Stagona<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Draseis sti Geitonia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>E.L. Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ECCHR \u2013 European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ECHO100PLUS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>EmpowerVan<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Entreculturas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Epicenter.Works<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equal Legal Aid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equipo Decenio Afrodescendiente- Spain<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>EuroMed Rights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>European Alternatives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>European Civic Forum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>European Digital Rights (EDRi)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>European Network Against Racism<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>European Sex Workers\u2019 Rights Alliance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extinction rebellion M\u00e1laga<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Federation of protestant churches in Italy (FCEI)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>F\u00e9d\u00e9rations des tunisiens citoyens des deux rives (FTCR)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flucht, interkulturelle Arbeit, Migration, Diakonie Hessen,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>forRefugees<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From the Sea to the City<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fundaci\u00f3n para la Innovaci\u00f3n, Investigaci\u00f3n, Formaci\u00f3n y el Desarrollo Comunitario (F\u00dcNDEC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Geloof &amp; Samenleving<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Global Peace and Development Organization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Greek Forum of Migrants<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grenzenlose W\u00e4rme \u2013 Refugee Relief Work e.V.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Groupe d\u2019information et de soutien des immigr\u00e9\u22c5es (GISTI)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grupa Granica<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hermes Center<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HIAS Europe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Homo Digitalis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hope Cafe Athens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human Rights Legal Project<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human Rights Watch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HumanRights360<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Humans in the Loop Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I Have Rights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Infokolpa<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Instance Nationale de Protection des Biens Publics et de la Transparence au Maroc \u201cINPBPTM\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Institute Circle<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inter Alia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>International Rescue Committee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ir\u00eddia-Center for the defense of human rights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Italy Must Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jesuit Refugee Service Greece (JRS)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>JRS Europe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>JRS Malta (Jesuit Refugee Service)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kerk in Actie<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>KISA Cyprus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Klikaktiv<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>La Cimade<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>LDH (Ligue des droits de l\u2019Homme)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Legal Centre Lesvos<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Legis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lesvos Solidarity (LESOL)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lighthouse Relief<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ligue des droits humains<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maldusa project<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>M\u00e9decins sans Fronti\u00e8res\/Doctors Without Borders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>medico international<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Migrant Voice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Migration Consortium<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Migration Policy group (MPG)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Migreurop<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobile Info Team<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Movimiento por la Paz (MPDL)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mugak Zabalduz<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mv Louise Michel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Network for Children\u2019s Rights (Greece)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No Name Kitchen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No One is Illegal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Northern Lights Aid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Novact<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ongi Etorri Errefuxiatuak<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oxfam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pan African Alliance on Climate Change<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Peace Institute (Mirovni in\u0161titut)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plataforma Ciudadana Caudete se Mueve<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Politiscope<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Privacy International<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PRO ASYL<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Project Armonia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Project ELPIDA e.V.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quaker Council for European Affairs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>r42 \u2013 Sail And Rescue<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reachout Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Red Acoge<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Red SOS Refugiados Europa<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Red Umbrella Sweden<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ReFOCUS Media Labs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Refugee Legal Support (RLS)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Refugees Welcome Italia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>RESQSHIP e.V.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Salud por Derecho<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Salvamento Mar\u00edtimo Humanitario<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Samos Volunteers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Save the Children<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sea-Eye e.V<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sea-Watch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Second Tree<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seebr\u00fccke<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes \u2013 SJM<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sienos Grup\u0117 (Lithuania)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SOLIDAR<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SOS Balkanroute<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SOS Humanity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Statewatch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stichting LOS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Still I Rise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stop Border Violence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>United Hands for Refugees e.V.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>United4Rescue \u2013 Gemeinsam retten e.V.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Velos youth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Walk of Shame<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch the Med Alarm-phone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We Gaan Ze Halen (Let\u2019s Bring Them Here)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>WissenschaftlerInnen f\u00fcr den Frieden Deutscland (Academics for Peace in Germany)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yoga and Sport with Refugees<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This statement was first circulated in February 2024, when it gathered 81 signatures. It was then re-circulated in April 2024, gathering a total of 163 signatures.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amidst warnings from over 50 Civil Society Organisations, EU lawmakers reached a political agreement on the EU\u2019s New Pact on Migration and Asylum in December. The agreement is a&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5292"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5294,"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5292\/revisions\/5294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcr.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}