Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-14-Speech-2-315"
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"en.20041214.16.2-315"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I recognise myself in the Lambert report, because, if there is an enemy preventing Europe from growing, that enemy is fear. One of the ways of combating it is certainly by knowing how to recognise those who deserve help among those who turn to us for assistance.
Not long ago, 75 Eritreans were arrested by the Libyan authorities; they had to undergo a long period of detention and were subjected to inhumane treatment. They were then put on an aeroplane to be taken back to their country of origin. Seized by despair, they hijacked the aeroplane and forced it to land in Sudan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was able to interview 60 of the 75 Eritreans, since the others were in prison for the hijacking. All those interviewed were entitled to asylum, but Libya does not have a law recognising such a right, is not a signatory to the Geneva Convention and does not guarantee respect of human rights in prison.
On the other hand, even countries such as mine – Italy – do not have a law on the right to asylum, and therefore reject migrants indiscriminately, without examining applications and without fair, just and individual assessments. Even legal immigrants are humiliated and forced to wait for years for the rightful renewal of their residence permits. It is clear that these persons are considered an enemy within, to be treated badly and thrown out.
Europe itself, though, should examine asylum applications, at the same time helping the Maghreb countries to progress along the path of respecting rights. We should ensure that Europe, by using the highest criteria for assessing and protecting refugees, transforms these waves of people into legal immigrants, and this plan is both beneficial and possible. For this reason it is necessary to set up a single European agency for refugees and European reception centres to examine individual requests, providing legal and linguistic assistance.
The refugees will be our foremost allies in promoting economic, civil and democratic growth in their countries of origin, since the world will be more secure only when it stops being so unfair."@en1
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