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Is a reform of European asylum policy still possible?
Asylum became a European competence in 1999 and has gradually become the subject of a legislative framework thanks to the introduction of the Common European Asylum System. However, since 2015, European policies in this area have shown their limits, leading to a reform process which has still not come off. At a time when the new European commission is setting out its objectives for a new common asylum policy, is reform still possible?
“The EU-Turkey Statement made it impossible to provide decent and humane reception conditions to asylum seekers”
Through the implementation of various activities – from initial reception services to the promotion of integration – the Greek Refugee Council seeks to inform about their rights and support the largest number of asylum seekers and refugees on Greek territory.
It has become one of the major associations in the field of asylum in Greece and has helped more than 125,000 beneficiaries since its creation in 1989.
“If the question of the distribution of migrants throughout the EU is codified, we will no longer see the kind of thing that is currently happening in Greece”
Sylvie Guillaume is a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament (S&D). She shares her views on the management of asylum seekers’ arrivals in the EU since 2015, on the new Pact on Asylum and Immigration of the von der Leyen Commission and on the role of the Parliament for the European legislature starting in 2019.
Networks of solidarity cities in order to foster a better reception for refugees in Europe
Faced directly with migration issues and with the need to find immediate and effective solutions, European cities have gradually chosen to join national and European solidarity networks. Those networks help them design local public policies as well as influence national and European political agendas.
“Border towns”: the challenge of reception at Europe’s internal and external borders
Lesvos, Calais, Melilla and Lampedusa are all municipalities which, as the European Union is being built and its asylum and immigration policy is being transformed, have become symbols of the Union’s borders. Vues d’Europe looks back at the role that these “border cities” have played and the challenges they face with the increase in arrivals of migrant population, and with the organization of their reception and integration.
What skills and responsibilities should cities have to welcome and integrate migrant and refugee populations?
Although migration policy is predominantly a state competence in the EU, European cities are emerging as key players in the reception and integration of migrants, particularly since 2015. Restrictive national measures, unclear distribution of competences, difficult access to funding … they nevertheless face a number of obstacles.
“Integration takes place in the concrete, not in the abstract of national political discussions”
For twenty years, and even more since 2015, EU Member States have struggled to reach a real agreement on a Common European Asylum System, with the lack of solidarity between national governments mainly hindering the revision of the Dublin Regulation. Looking at this challenge, cities are taking on an increasingly important role, particularly for the integration of refugees, in cooperation with civil society and private actors.
« Mayors have become ‘models of resistance’ because we had to, and we are actually proud of it »
Magid Magid was elected Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 2018 and has been Green MEP since last European elections in May 2019. He regularly voices his support for the welcoming of refugees and migrants in Europe and is now member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in the European Parliament, which is leading the debate on migration issues.