AA16CR21ADD1

AS (2016) CR 21
Addendum 1
Provisional edition

2016 ORDINARY SESSION

________________________

(Third part)

REPORT

Twenty-first sitting

Tuesday, 21 June 2016 at 10 a.m.

Debate: Refugees at risk in Greece

The following texts were submitted for inclusion in the official report by members who were present in the Chamber but were prevented by lack of time from delivering them.

Ms JOHNSSON FORNARVE (Sweden) – The European Union is a wealthy bloc, with a population that exceeds 500 million. It should have no trouble receiving a million people fleeing war, terror and oppression. But instead of coming together and finding a rational and humane solution to the problem, the European Union, including, alas, Sweden, has chosen to impose tougher restrictions for the reception of refugees.

Instead, it has allowed Turkey to act as our border police, and Turkey is a State which in recent times has taken several steps away from democracy and the upholding of human rights. Turkey is a country which has sent its army to brutally confront its Kurdish population, leading to cities being destroyed and hundreds of people being killed. The regime has tried to silence the opposition by arresting activists and journalists and by abolishing the political immunity of politicians, a measure which will impact the HDP in particular. Turkey is not a safe country for refugees in these circumstances – something a range of human rights organisations, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Médecins Sans Frontières and Amnesty International have pointed out. The current agreement with Turkey needs to be cancelled.

As a result, more and more refugees are deciding to take the route between Libya and Italy, a longer and more dangerous journey. Again we will see, on our televisions, computer screens, tablets and phones, women and men and girls and boys drowning in the Mediterranean.

Europe must take greater responsibility. Greece, as the first European locality for so many, needs more help. The living conditions of a large number of refugees in Greece are very difficult and unacceptable. The asylum system is not working satisfactorily – this is clearly confirmed by the report. The main reason for this is that Greece lacks resources and is unable to handle the situation without more support from the rest of Europe. If we expect the treatment of refugees to be consistent with international law, we need to give more support in solidarity with Greece and the refugees.

An important issue in this context is family reunification. To deny children the right to grow up with their parents is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must promote each child's childhood and the inherent right to a dignified, safe and meaningful life.

Europe has experienced far greater crises than this – I do not need to remind anyone here of that. More needs to be done and more can be done. The refugee crisis in Greece is a global and European crisis. By denying refugees our humanity, we betray our own. As the Commissioner for Human Rights put it, “People are not illegal. Their legal status may be irregular, but that does not render them beyond humanity”.

Mr JENSSEN (Norway) – It does not seem that war, violence and repressive regimes will be in short supply anytime soon. As a result, migration and refugees seems to have become a part of the natural order.

I have visited refugee camps both in Sicily and Greece, most recently as part of this Assembly’s Ad hoc committee visit to Greece. I can confirm what is said in this report – many are living in dire circumstances, and Greece is handling an extremely difficult task in the midst of other challenges. However, the work being done in Greece is impressive, and improvements are being made.

Throughout our last visit, representatives of the Greek authorities and others expressed concern, frustration and strong disappointment in what they consider to be a lack of European solidarity. The call for Europe both to provide more assistance and to take on more responsibility is indeed understandable.

Furthermore, part of the solution must also be to reduce migratory pressure on the European Union's external borders, to combat human smuggling, to gain control over the Schengen borders and to establish a proper division of responsibility among the European countries. In this respect, the implementation of the European Union-Turkey agreement will hopefully be a step towards finding a common European solution to the current situation. The European Union has emphasised that the agreement is in line with its international obligations and European Union law. For Norway, this is also vitally important.

Earlier this year, Norway strengthened its aid to help finance reception centres and to assist the local authorities on Chios. We extended the aid to the Greek asylum authorities, including the deployment of experts in registration centres on the border with Turkey and on Lesbos and in mobile registration centres. Within the period 2014-2021, Norway will have made a total of €120 million available to Greece through EEA funds. Prioritisation of projects within the field of migration and asylum will be crucial. Norway also co-operates with the European Union, and has pledged to relocate 1 500 refugees over two years.

I commend the report for addressing in very clear terms the need for both Greece and Europe to take on greater responsibility in order to avoid further human suffering.

Mr KIRAL (Ukraine) – As a member of the Ad hoc committee led by President Agramunt, I was impressed by what the Greek authorities have achieved in such a short period of time – as some have said, a 60-fold increase in the workload. As Minister Mouzalas told us, migration is not a poem; there is no place for emotion, only for reason. I saw the Greek Government’s commitment to facing and living up to the challenges. However, the enduring poor ability of Greek institutions to deal with the problem, together with the lack of human resources, materials and money, all contribute towards providing a slower response than expected. The advance in technology is not fully utilised, but rather poses questions to authorities in the European Union, which failed to deliver a quick response to the refugee crisis through full co-ordination with Frontex and other European Union agencies.

New camps, such as Elaionas in Athens, give hope for decent living conditions: there are services for refugees, with air-conditioned cabins and a proper registration system. Volunteers and NGO workers are on site almost full time.

These are cities and regions which already face many difficulties. Obsolete and deteriorating municipal infrastructure, public transport, housing, education and social services are already posing an enormous challenge. Athens’s mayor, Mr Kaminis, was outspoken, stressing his worries about avoiding the creation of ghettos which are then targeted by far-right groups. Aid allocated to Greece does not necessarily reach local communities where much of the work with refugees is being done.

The adoption of the European Union new policy for migration, its enforcement at the level of legislature and the building of institutional capacity – not in place at this date – shall very much embrace the sub-national level, establish a network of cities/regions to target with proper aid and co-ordinated efforts.

In my opinion, refugees are not at risk in Greece, but rather in Europe in general, until the European Union can get itself together and realise that every member State must show solidarity with its other member States whose borders happen to be on the frontline for incoming refugees. Similarly, it should show more solidarity to Ukraine, by stopping Russian aggression and thus avoiding adding to the number of refugees fleeing a war zone.

Mr VILLUMSEN (Denmark) – I had the honour of participating in the visit to Greece. Coming from Denmark, I was happy to see that the Greek authorities are not taking jewellery from the refugees, but are trying to help them.

But it is clear that the situation is very bad, as is pointed out in the very good report. This is not a Greek problem. This is a European problem. The Greek authorities must of course live up to their obligations, but we have to give them the means and help them to do it.

First of all, the agreed redistribution is not taking place. Children and vulnerable people are crowded together behind barbed wire. Dear colleagues, let us get the redistribution started.

Secondly, the European Union-Turkey agreement has led to discrimination. Non-Syrian refugees are put at the back of the queue. This creates frustration and tension and it seems to be against the principles of the convention. This European Union-created discrimination will have to stop.

Finally, I have to point out that the most absurd thing is that the memorandum does not allow the Greek authorities to hire new staff. Therefore they need to deal with thousands of asylum cases without being able to hire translators or other personnel. Help from the European Union is delivered through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but they withdrew from the hot spots after the European Union-Turkey agreement due to the violations of the convention.

Let us give Greece the means to tackle this urgent crisis. Let us come together and help people in urgent need. Let us not just talk of solidarity, but act in solidarity.

      Ms FERNANDES (United Kingdom) – I would like to voice my condolences to the family of Jo Cox MP, a fellow Member of the United Kingdom Parliament. Jo was an accomplished politician, campaigner for refugees and a devoted wife and mother. She will be greatly missed by all.

Thousands of families sleeping in the open, in mud and snow, on the sides of roads. Tens of thousands in makeshift refugee camps. Women collapsing from exhaustion and desperation after days of walking, trying to reach safety. Children drowning in the Mediterranean, suffocating in lorries or trying to cross foreign countries, alone. Despite many of these things happening in Greece this year, it remains hard to believe, and shameful, that they are happening in Europe.

The United Kingdom Government has shown great leadership in aid for Syria and the region, setting a pace that other countries must now match. In addition, the extremely welcome announcement by the Prime Minister on refugee children in Europe mirrors the lead the United Kingdom has taken in the Middle East on aid and refugee resettlement, with a lifeline to children who have reached Europe alone – echoing Britain’s proud history of offering sanctuary in times of crisis.

The United Kingdom Government is working closely with the Greek administration to deliver a wide ranging package of assistance, from humanitarian aid to personnel and resources to help implement the European Union-Turkey agreement. The United Kingdom is the largest bilateral contributor to the response to the Mediterranean migration crisis, providing £70 million in humanitarian support. Up to £34 million of support has been allocated to Greece, where we continue to monitor the humanitarian situation closely.

In addition to the 20,000 refugees we have pledged to adopt from the region, the United Kingdom has partnered with the United Nations Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, to identify vulnerable child refugees in the region for resettlement to the United Kingdom, where that is in the best interests of the child. We have committed £10 million to a refugee children fund package to help support children in Europe. As we look to implement these new resettlement commitments, the Government’s pledge to give British resources and asylum expertise to support the overwhelmed systems in Europe will be crucial.

I am proud that the United Kingdom is again making an outstanding contribution in aid and by offering a new life to children whose lives have been torn apart by war.