State of Play of the Reform of the Common European Asylum System
Briefing by Ska Keller
The ongoing reform of the Common European Asylum System is evolving into a major battle on solidarity between the European Parliament and the Council. While the Parliament as co-legislator calls for a much stronger solidarity-based asylum system, the Council is failing to agree on a...
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Ska Keller and Gianni Pittella joint open letter to the European Council
The S&D and Greens/EFA Groups in the European Parliament have sent a joint open letter to European Council President, Donald Tusk, and the Heads of States and Governments, ahead of the next European Council meeting on 22/23 June, asking for immediate action to reform the Dublin system and open...
moreIt is a great symbolic gesture to see that a vast majority of the Parliament is united in supporting relocation of refugees. Member States in the European south, like Italy or Greece currently take care of most refugees that enter the European Union. They need more support.Simultaneously, that Member States block the implementation of relocation of refugees is a big...
moreSka and the Dutch MEP Judith Sargentini have been visiting Souda refugee camp on the greek island of Chios. Since the EU-Turkey-Deal entry into force in March 2016 the people arriving on greek islands like Chios can not go to Athens or somewhere else. They are waiting for a judgement of the Greek high court, to see whether they are send back to Turkey.
Europe leaves...
moreTogether with colleagues from the European Parliament and the Greek refugee minister, Ska visited a refugee camp on the Greek mainland yesterday. In order to improve the situation of the refugees spoken with, other Member States of the European Union need to take more refugees from Greece.
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Open letter to the First Vice-President of the Commission Timmermans, the Commissioner on Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Avramopoulos and the Frontex-Director Leggeri
In an open letter, Ska and other members of the Greens / EFA Group called on the EU Commission and Frontex to react to the asylum laws yesterday adopted by the Hungarian Parliament. According to...
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Speaking ahead of tomorrow's informal summit, Greens/EFA group co-president Ska Keller said:"We must stand up for human rights and the right to asylum. To enter into a deal with Libya that would see refugees languishing in horrific conditions would be to betray the values that Europe claims to represent. If border guards are trained with EU money, we must accept the...
moreChildren have frost bites, people are dying from cold. This is happening in the European Union right now! It is the inhumane logic to deter refugees that makes European Heads of State accept the suffering and the death. We need to stop this now. In Greece, in Serbia, in Bulgaria, we need to stop this catastrophe and bring dignity to the people.
moreWe cannot stand and watch the atrocities happening in #Aleppo. The European Heads of State need to act now! They must send a message to the people who are fleeing and say "You are not alone. We will help you!" But until now they are doing nothing. The Belgium Government is fighting off a refugee family from Aleppo who won a court case to get a humanitarian Visa. The...
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In a Written Question Ska and other MEPs ask the European Commission about an incident, at which ten Syrian nationals had been forcefully returned from Greece to Turkey without consideration of their asylum claims. They want to know what role Frontex has played and how the Commission wants to investigate on this case.
You can download the Written Question here.
What...
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