EU: Migration and asylum pact is 'failure of global leadership'

‘EU institutions are now shamefully co-signing an agreement that they know will lead to greater human suffering’ - Eve Geddie

In response to today’s European Parliament vote to adopt a package of new EU laws on migration and asylum, Eve Geddie, Amnesty International’s Head of the European Institutions Office and Director of Advocacy, said:

“After years of negotiations, EU institutions are now shamefully co-signing an agreement that they know will lead to greater human suffering.

“For people escaping conflict, persecution or economic insecurity these reforms will mean less protection and a greater risk of facing human rights violations across Europe - including illegal and violent pushbacks, arbitrary detention and discriminatory policing.

“Europe has missed a vital opportunity to build a migration and asylum system that places human rights at the centre, and to unconditionally uphold people’s human right to seek asylum no matter where they come from or how they have arrived.

“This pact is a failure to show global leadership on refugee protection and building safe, fair and dignified pathways for people to reach Europe - whether in search of safety or of opportunity.

“We will continue to stand in solidarity with refugees and migrants, those affected by racism, discrimination, violence and human rights abuses at European borders and beyond, as well as the countless individuals, organisations and communities working to defend their rights.”