Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13575 | 04 July 2014

Countries of transit: meeting new migration and asylum challenges

Signatories: Ms Tineke STRIK, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Marieluise BECK, Germany, ALDE ; Ms Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway, SOC ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Michael CONNARTY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Paolo CORSINI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Maria GIANNAKAKI, Greece, SOC ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Ögmundur JÓNASSON, Iceland, UEL ; Ms Vasiliki KATRIVANOU, Greece, UEL ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Athina KYRIAKIDOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Thierry MARIANI, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Olivia MITCHELL, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Konstantinos TRIANTAFYLLOS, Greece, SOC ; Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

In the recent years, much attention has been paid to large scale arrivals of migrants on the shores of the Southern borders of Europe. However, the situation in the Northern African countries of departure has not yet been highlighted. To a large extent, they function as countries of transit for migrants heading to Europe.

Europe has engaged more and more in co-operation with these transit countries, aiming to reduce the number of arrivals in Europe. As a result, some transit countries have increasingly fenced their borders, preventing migrants from entering Europe. This development does not always go hand in hand with an improved access to protection and basic rights for migrants and refugees. In Morocco, new legislation has been adopted in order to fill protection gaps and regularise migrants. In other countries however, the situation gives reasons for great concerns.

Through this co-operation on migration, Europe carries responsibility for the treatment of migrants and refugees in these transit countries. The Parliamentary Assembly should therefore share its experience on migration and asylum with those countries by examining the migration and asylum challenges they are facing and offering assistance in dealing with these challenges.