Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-09-20-Speech-4-042"
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"en.20010920.6.4-042"2
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"Madam President, I want to thank the committee and its chairman for a well-considered report. The increasing flow of refugees in recent years shows the need for a common refugee policy both within the EU and globally.
The various Member States’ more or less panicky reactions faced with people’s desire to find sanctuary and a new life in Europe have struck a very discordant note, given the humanitarian values the EU stands for. There have been many tragedies on the EU’s borders, involving vessels that have gone down, desperate refugees who have hidden in containers and refugees who have tried to swim their way to Europe.
On many occasions, I have felt depressed by quite a few of the proposals from the Member States and the Commission whose main aim seems to have been to stop, impede, deport and expel. Those who have spoken of an EU that is developing into a fortress Europe are, unfortunately, not completely mistaken.
Against this background, this proposal for a directive is along the right lines. The rights of the individual are emphasised, and repressive measures do not dominate. It is certainly true that common asylum rules are needed within the EU, but there also needs to be scope for individual Member States to make more generous assessments. The committee has guaranteed this scope. The committee also strengthens the rights of the individual under the Geneva Convention in relation to the position of children, the ability to hold refugees in custody, greater knowledge on the part of those who have to deal with matters relating to refugees and reasonable periods within which applications are to be processed. Quite simply, it is a question of increased legal certainty.
I am nonetheless a little uneasy about the Council’s future handling of these issues. We must safeguard the absolute requirement under the Geneva Convention that every refugee shall have his case examined individually, just as Baroness Ludford said.
As I see it, there are no safe countries. If, as Europeans, we are not completely to forfeit our good name, a different refugee policy based upon respect, openness and legal certainty is required. It is not countries such as Nauru that can be expected to assume responsibility for people fleeing from barbaric regimes such as that in Afghanistan. Empathy and humanitarianism are required even more now, a week after the tragedy in the United States."@en1
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