The landmark political agreement on a common European system on migration and asylum strongly counters the threat-based, alarmist and extremist narrative promoted by the far-right. This was the message today from the Migration and Integration Network (MIN) of the Party of European Socialists (PES), which met online to discuss disinformation in the context of the recent political agreement on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Network Chair Carina Ohlsson MEP congratulated European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union for securing a deal on the Pact.
Network Chair Carina Ohlsson MEP said:
“The political agreement reached marks a milestone for the EU. The deal represents a solid compromise, it proves that there is trust and political will to face the challenges together, it will reform EU migration and asylum policy, into a long-term and sustainable approach, preserving the right of asylum, protecting people, implementing a strong and binding solidarity and responsibility sharing mechanism and effectively managing our borders. This is a pivotal moment for the EU to deliver and we social democrats are leading the way.
“The Pact offers real solutions, not the divisive politics of the right-wing populists. We must counter threat-based discourses and misinformation spread by the far-right and show that the Pact is a European response which will lead to a more predictable, coordinated and humane migration and asylum system.”
The Network held a strategic discussion on the threat of disinformation related to migration, with input from policy experts in the field. The focus was sharing evidence-based knowledge and best practices to strengthen the progress response to far-right misinformation.
After years of deadlock on a common EU approach on asylum and migration policy, thanks to the leadership of progressive European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, PES governments, the Spanish Presidency of the EU, and the S&D Group in the European Parliament, an agreement on the Pact was struck at the end of 2023. The PES welcomed the Pact as progressive way to move on from the current, outdated, crisis-driven approach.
