On the occasion of the International Day of Migrants, Caritas Europa reminds EU governments that solidarity should be our leaders’ answer to creating more welcoming and inclusive societies. “I’m a Kurd. The Syrian military leadership doesn’t trust the Kurds, so we’re always on the frontline. And if I was captured by ISIS, I would be […]
Migration is a major policy concern at national and European level. However, while Member States have put in place specific regulations to deal with certain aspects, the overall architecture of migration-related policies is perceived as a challenge. In recent months, the significant inflow of refugees has profoundly changed the situation in Europe. Most countries have […]
On 2 December, I attended a launch in the European Parliament of the report “No Child should be Stateless” published by the European Network on Statelessness. The event was hosted by Member of the Parliament (MEP) Jean Lambert and co-organised by the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Children’s Rights. The topic is very timely as unaccompanied […]
Last week the conference of the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU Council “Boosting social enterprises in Europe” took place. There were two sessions: one on social innovation as a key driver for economic sustainable development and another on financing social economy enterprises. Magdas Hotel, set up by Caritas Austria in Vienna, was showcased as an […]
The ongoing so called “migration crisis” remains a big concern for many societies across Europe. Governments keep struggling to find an appropriate way to deal with the influx of people. The International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) jointly published a […]
The report on preventing radicalisation was adopted by the European Parliament today. The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) is concerned that some proposals may endanger the enjoyment of fundamental rights in the EU, especially by Muslims, refugees and people perceived as such. We nevertheless welcome the recommendation that Member States adopt specific strategies for combating […]
Brussels has been locked down for four days. The last time I witnessed such a heavy presence of the army, I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina, eight years after the war’s end. Russian and then American troops were patrolling the streets daily, and sometimes choppers above our heads and Humvees on the roads were searching […]
Published in EurActiv As Europe comes to terms with last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, the spotlight is on how our leaders respond. The darkness that shrouds the continent is largely a consequence of historical short-sighted decisions driven by fear, greed or power, or simply an inability to understand the bigger picture. The first year […]
On 10 November I attended a roundtable by SOLIDAR on migration and fundamental rights, linked to their EU-funded project to improve the provision of social service delivery in South Eastern Europe through the empowerment of national and regional CSOs. Brenda King (member of the European Economic and Social Committee from UK, and rapporteur of the […]
On 9 November NGOs met with representatives of the European Commission for a discussion on how EU funding can be used for migration integration. Belinda Pyke (Director for Migration & Mobility and Acting Director for Migration & Security Funds) recalled that DG Migration & Home Affairs was restructuring at the start of this year to align priorities of the Juncker Commission (see […]
