Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-14-Speech-2-312"
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"en.20041214.16.2-312"2
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"Mr President, I must begin by thanking our rapporteur, Mrs Lambert, for this excellent report, which has our support. We have, in fact, reached a critical juncture in the formulation of a European asylum policy. It is observable that the first phase of European harmonisation of national asylum policies has resulted in a levelling-down of standards.
In November of this year, the Council adopted a new set of priorities for a European asylum policy in the Hague Programme. Among the provisions of this programme for the second phase of harmonisation is the development of a common asylum procedure, and our main message here is that Europe is a place of refuge and that we must preserve that humanitarian tradition.
In this context, the foremost aim of the report before us is to remind the Member States that the Geneva Convention and the role of the High Commissioner for Refugees must remain at the heart of our asylum policy. In order to preserve Europe’s humanitarian tradition, we formally reaffirm our opposition to any moves to outsource the application process and to create transit camps beyond the frontiers of the European Union.
European asylum policy must be based on the principle of solidarity, of shared burdens and responsibilities, not only inside the European Union but also with non-EU countries. A European asylum policy must also reinforce the fundamental rights of asylum seekers. The primary aim of the single asylum procedure must be to guarantee a high level of protection for refugees. It must also provide scope for improved decision-making. The European Parliament, democratically elected and accountable to the peoples of Europe, must affirm the right of asylum seekers to a dignified reception. We want more accessible, fairer and better organised asylum systems, and we must rectify the defects in the present systems. We must protect refugees, and we must also work on our own populations, explaining to them the distress that drives people to seek refuge in Europe and, by this means, fostering a better understanding of the situation. It is, of course, desirable that refugees return to their own countries. To that end, it will be necessary to deal with the underlying causes of their plight. In the meantime, however, it is our duty to focus on the local integration of refugees and on their accommodation in host countries while upgrading protection capabilities and developing a programme for the development and adoption of sustainable solutions.
Lastly, there seems to be a problem with the interpretation of Amendment No 1 in several languages. Let me therefore make it clear that the word ‘based’ refers to the premature repatriation of refugees, not to the safeguards designed to strengthen the protection programmes. I felt it was important to clarify that point."@en1
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