AS/Mig/inf (2016) 03 27 January 2016 aminf03_2016 Conference on “A comprehensive humanitarian and political response to the migration and refugee crisis in Europe” Organised by the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons in co-operation with the PACE Parliamentary Project Support Division Wednesday, 16 December 2015 Report National Assembly, Salle Lamartine Paris, France Meeting documents are published on the Parliamentary Assembly extranet website (restricted area for national delegations): http://assembly.coe.int/extranet. F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex | [email protected] | Tel: +33 3 88 41 2000 | Fax: +33 3 88 41 2797 AS/Mig/Inf (2016) 03 MORNING SESSION Opening session Opening of the Conference by Mr Thierry Mariani, Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the PACE. Statement by Ms Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Statement by Mr Rolf Wenzel, Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank. Concerns and possible short/medium term solutions Moderator: Mr Jacques Attali Panel composed of representatives of relevant committees of national parliaments: Mr Amjad Majali, Member of the Parliament of Jordan and former Minister of Labour Mr Georgios Pallis, Member of the Committee on Public Administration, Public Order and Justice of the Parliament of Greece Mr Meho Omerović, Chairperson, Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Ms Lotta Finstorp, Member of the Social Insurance Committee of the Parliament of Sweden The following persons spoke in the discussion: - Mr Gert Westerveen, Representative of the UNHCR to the European Institutions in Strasbourg - Ms Annette Groth, Member of the Parliament of Germany - Mr Konstantinos Tsiaras, Member of the Parliament of Greece, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs - Ms Nezha El Ouafi, Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Morocco - Mr Manlio Di Stefano, Member of the Parliament of Italy - Ms Najat Al-Astal, Member of the Parliament and Council of Palestine 2 AS/Mig/Inf (2016) 03 - Ms Sahiba Gafarova, Member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan - Ms Maria Luisa Silva, Director, UNDP Office in Geneva - Mr Jean-Marie Heydt, President of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe - Mr Žarko Obradović, Member of the Parliament of Serbia - Mr Husnija Šabović, Member of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms of the Parliament of Montenegro - Ms Maja Gasal Vrazalica, Member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Mr Killion Munyama, Member of the Parliament of Poland - Mr El Mokhtar Ghambou, member of the House of Representatives of Morocco Statements made in languages other than French are transcribed on the basis of the interpretation and are preceded by an asterisk 3 AS/Mig/Inf (2016) 03 Opening of the Conference by Mr Thierry Mariani, Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the PACE Mr Thierry Mariani, Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the PACE – I wish to thank all the participants from the Council of Europe member states, whether parliamentarians or other, as well as the non-member participants who have been working with us for many years, in particular all those who have links with the Council of Europe through the Partnership for Democracy. I wish to thank the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Anne Brasseur, for organising this conference on a subject which, I am sad to stay, remains all too topical. I also wish to thank all the speakers who are going to give us an overview of the situation on the ground in the various countries represented. This will help us in our common search for a solution that is both workable and effective. Lastly, I wish to thank the two moderators, Jacques Attali and Guy Goodwin-Gill, for agreeing to give us the benefit of their expertise, experience and intelligence in addressing the issue of migration and in trying to come up with a humanitarian and political response. I should also tell you that yesterday we received a message from the Speaker of the French National Assembly, saying he would be unable to join us today for health reasons. He was not at yesterday’s National Assembly session either. As I said, therefore, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to Anne Brasseur who, thanks to her willingness to take a stand and her tireless efforts over the two years that she has been president, has managed to make the PACE’s voice heard at the highest level in every country. I also want to welcome the President of the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre, Jean-Marie Heydt, and the Chairman of the Governing Board and the Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank, one of whose tasks, since its inception in 1956, has been to come to the aid of migrants and refugees, a mission that has taken on special significance recently given that solidarity must be backed by funds if it is to have a full and tangible impact. Lastly, I wish to thank the representatives of the other international organisations present here today, the United Nations, with the World Food Programme, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UNHCR. Ladies and gentlemen. We are currently seeing the biggest influx of refugees and migrants into Europe in decades. Nearly 900,000 people arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean in 2015, four times more than the previous year. All these refugees and migrants arriving in Europe require protection, including for their fundamental rights. The tragic events that took place on 13 November last year, however, have helped create a situation where migrants are equated with terrorism. We currently find ourselves facing challenges on a number of fronts: humanitarian, economic, social and security-related. On top of this, there are other issues related to reception, resettlement and the division of responsibilities with regard to these new migrants. It is not only the immediate problems that need tackling, however. Medium- and long-term solutions need to be found as well. Aside from the fact that everyone wants to live in a community that is safe and respects people’s basic rights, the main question is how to establish and ensure security and respect for human rights in the countries of origin, so as to avoid further massive influxes in the future. This would also help to save human lives given that the individuals fleeing from threats and insecurity in their homelands regularly run enormous risks. I am thinking in particular of those who set out to sea in the flimsiest of boats. It is a story that has become sadly familiar. This conference will, I hope, promote discussion and allow us to draw on our different experiences to explore together the kind of measures that need to be taken so that people can stay in their own countries and be safe there. Today’s conference should also, however, give us an opportunity to address the issue of support for those host countries which, because of where they are situated and their proximity to war zones, are having to 4 AS/Mig/Inf (2016) 03 bear the brunt of the refugee problem. I am thinking in particular of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and others which are in the front line, as it were. I am delighted, incidentally, to see representatives of these countries in this room today, people who will be able to enlighten us about the situation as it stands at present. Today’s conference is also an excellent opportunity to share opinions and discuss the various positions at a parliamentary level so that we can then go back to our respective governments with proposals regarding a common stance on sharing responsibilities and protecting Europe’s external borders. One of the key issues has to do with harmonising the rules on determining the status of refugees, to ensure that only those who need refugee status can claim it. Another topic that we could explore is the return of migrants who have been rejected. What can be done to ensure their safety when they return to their country of origin? And to monitor the situation after they return? These are some of the questions which have not yet been satisfactorily addressed. Some thought could also be given to introducing procedures for identifying people who meet the requirements for legal entry into Europe, in order to save the lives of the many who might otherwise be tempted to use irregular migration routes. These procedures could be considered a first step towards processing applications for asylum and refugee status outside Europe. A significant tightening of the selection process for people eligible for legal entry into Europe based on humanitarian grounds could nevertheless be a big step in this direction. Lastly, without mentioning all of them, I think that the issue of integration is paramount and I welcome the fact that the Council of Europe and, more specifically, the Parliamentary Assembly have already made substantial efforts in this area. We could draw on this work in our future thinking. As you can see, the Council of Europe and hence the Migration Committee, are very well placed to act as a platform for this political dialogue. The Migration Committee includes among its members representatives of countries of origin and transit and host countries. Palestine, Morocco and Kyrgyzstan already have partner for democracy status and Jordan is set to obtain it soon. We also have working relations and co-operative ties with Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia and Jordan. Ladies and gentlemen. You will find in your files a compendium of the latest resolutions adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.