9 NGOs call upon the European Council for a different EU migration policy – Bridges, not weapons!

This morning (June 24)  at a press conference SOLIDAR together with the European Association for the Defense of Human Rights (AEDH), Emmaüs Europe, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Networks, European Alternatives, FEANTSA, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Doctors of the World & Migreurop launched an appeal to call upon the European institutions to put solidarity and respect of human rights at the heart of the migrant, asylum seeker and refugee reception policies.

Ahead of tomorrow’s European Council, our organisations are calling for the European Union and its Member States to implement the following measures as a matter of urgency:

  • Organise a properly resourced maritime search and rescue operation supported by all the Member States to prevent boats from sinking and rescue anyone in distress. Frontex, even if its resources are increased three-fold and its area of intervention has widened, remains a security agency;
  • Implement a broad-based and real migrant and asylum seeker reception and refugee protection mechanism, based on solidarity between Member States and guaranteeing that asylum seekers have the freedom to choose their country of residence;
  • Open up legal and safe immigration channels for migrants and asylum seekers and immediately abolish the transit visas required by many people fleeing war-torn countries, such as Syria;
  • Immediately activate the system laid out in Council Directive 2001/55/EC on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons, for example from Syria or Eritrea;
  • Refuse and / or suspend migration related cooperation with countries of origin and transit countries that fail to respect freedoms and fundamental rights.

The appeal is open to be signed by all organisations supporting our proposed measures! SOLIDAR invites all the civil society organisations who share our values to sign the appeal.
The full version of the appeal can be found here in English, French and Spanish.

This appeal has been launched in the framework of a call for international mobilisation that started on 20 June – on the occasion of World Refugee Day – to which many members and partners of SOLIDAR participated by organising demonstrations, public actions and campaign. Please see the photogallery of the actions organised by SOLIDAR members on 20 June here.

How to get involved?

  • Sign the joint appeal on AEDH website and don’t forget to share it with us through twitter using the hashtag #bridgesnotweapons;
  • Join the virtual campaign Occupy4migrants to ask the European Council to take action for migrants.