“Europe is facing the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War. People fleeing countries torn apart by war, oppression, poverty, persecution and religious extremism have sought shelter on our continent. This is a crisis for Europe. But above all, it is a crisis for these people, the vast majority of them women and children, who are seeking peace, stability and help from us.
Tens of thousands European citizens have mobilized to welcome and assist refugees who have arrived in Europe. To the civil society groups and individuals all over Europe who have participated in this wave of solidarity we owe our gratitude, and our pride.
Solidarity with migrants needs to be coupled with solidarity between Member States and most of all with countries beyond Europe, with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. We need to combine this solidarity with humanitarian solutions and practical ways to address concretely the issues at hand.
One thing is clear – the current asylum system ‘the Dublin system’ is not fit for purpose. This must be reviewed, it is proven to be dysfunctional and lacking in responsibility sharing. Given its clear limitations, we need to build a new system, which deals with the new situation. Instead of building walls, we need to provide safe and legal avenues for refugees to reach European soil. We must use all our means to prevent them falling into the hands of unscrupulous traffickers or smugglers.”
For more details of the PES declaration ‘Refugees – a Progressive and humanitarian response’ see here.
