Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos European Commission Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200 1049 Brussels Belgium

Brussels, 28 May 2015

Subject: A European Agenda on Migration - distribution key for relocation resettlement schemes

We welcome Commission's efforts to find immediate measures to address the crisis situation in the Mediterranean and the proposed comprehensive policy approach on migration - one of the biggest challenges the is facing today. EU's migration policy indeed needs a comprehensive approach, which focuses not only on the tip of the iceberg - the recent tragedies in the Mediterranean - but tackles the root causes of the mass migration influx by helping to address the security, development and economic challenges in Europe's neighbourhood - Middle East, Africa, and also the Eastern Partnership countries. This solution must go far beyond border controls, operations to save lives at sea and greater solidarity among EU Member States, which all are efforts to deal with the consequences. The EU needs to do its best to halt organised crime and smuggling networks, to help to deal with the security challenges in Europe's neighbourhood, to provide assistance and close cooperation to the countries hosting refugee camps, and to ensure coordinated development and foreign security and defence policy efforts.

In view of the first detailed proposal on the European Agenda on Migration, published by the Commission on 27 May 2015, which states concrete numbers for resettlement scheme and relocation of asylum seekers from Italy and Greece, we would like to draw you attention and express our deepest concerns over composition of the distribution key that is proposed by the European Commission, which leads to proportionally large numbers assigned to .

We recognize European responsibility to help refugees in need of international protection through both greater support to the refugee camps and resettlement to the extent possible. Equally we recognise the calls for a greater solidarity and burden sharing among the EU Member States, however, it cannot be mandatory and using one-size-fits-all approach. In addition, it must go hand-in-hand with stringent return policy of those who do not qualify for the refugee status. Furthermore, the total number assigned for Latvia under the relocation and resettlement schemes, which according to the recent

1 Commission's proposal should be 7371 refugees and asylum seekers, is unfair and disproportional.

It is our strong belief that the fair distribution key, meant to be used for both relocation mechanism of asylum seekers and resettlement of refugees, cannot be based only on the four criteria set out in the European Agenda on Migration, namely the size of the population, total GOP, unemployment rate and past number of asylum seekers and resettled refugees. Elements of such distribution key must be carefully evaluated, taking into account specific national circumstances, such as absorption and integration capacity, historical factors and past migration which goes far beyond the 2010-2014 timeframe laid down in the Agenda.

During the post-World War II Soviet Occupation of the Baltic States which lasted till 1991, the three Baltic States - Latvia, Lithuanian and Estonia - were subjected to large waves of forced immigration. During the Soviet occupation from 1946-1990 the total number of 708.000 persons immigrated into Latvia, in addition to the existing population of only 2 million people.

The fact of forced immigration in the Baltic region and the consequences of it is recognised by a Resolution of the Council of Europe in 1987 (Annex 1)3, which states that "as a result of forced immigration into their area, the Baltic peoples are brought under pressure to assimilate, and that the lack of possibilities for education and cultural expression of their own is leading towards the loss of national identity".

The consequences of the forced immigration in Latvia during the Soviet Occupation are still visible today. Latvia and Estonia are the only European countries that have fewer inhabitants of the ethnic nationality than they had in the beginning of twentieth century. According to the latest census ethnic Latvians are only 62.1% of the population of Latvia and it is the lowest number of ethnic nationality in any European country.

This statistics is important to show that despite our friendliness and positive attitude towards people from other countries, our language and culture as well as political balance would be in danger as a result of further immigration, which is imbalanced and not carefully evaluated. From these numbers alone it is obvious and clear that our absorption capacity is very limited. Even if ethnicity is not considered as a factor, 16% of our population are citizens of third countries, of which only 2% of those represent nationals of other EU Member States (Annex 114 - data of 2012 published by the European Parliamentary Research Service). Furthermore, according to the 2014 statistics, 282.876 non-citizens living in Latvia, which is roughly 13% of the total population of Latvia. A large role in this regard is played by Russiawhich has used caveats to hamper any integration efforts, offering Russian citizenship to our residents and using non-citizens as a political tool to distort the actual opportunities for these people to obtain citizenship.

1 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-releaseIP-1S-S039en.htm (Relocation of asylum seekers from Italy - 310; Relocation of asylum seekers from Greece - 207; asylum seekers from Greece, Resettlement scheme - 220). 2 P. Eglite, I. Mezs, "Latvijas kotonlzacija un etniski: sostava izmainu ce/of)i 1944.-1990. gada", Latvijas vesturnieku komisijas raksti, 7 sejums, pp 416-417. 3 http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta87/ERES872.htm 4 http://e pth inkta nk.eu/20 13/07/09/m igratio n-in-the-eu/fo reigners-as-of -tota 1-populatio n-2012/

2 We believe that in order to encourage solidarity among the EU Member States, the elements of the distribution key should be carefully evaluated further and adapted to increase their overall fairness taking into account historical factors such as forced migration and occupation.

Dear Commissioner, we sincerely hope that you will take into account the concerns shared in this letter and we would be glad to meet with you in person to explain our concerns on the matter. As all of us belong to the same EPP political family, we trust in your understanding of the situation we are facing.

Sincerely yours,

Artis Pabriks, MEP, EPPGroup, Latvia

Krisjanis Karins, MEP, EPPGroup, Latvia ( \ -

Inese Vaidere, MEP, EPPGroup, Latvia

Copy of this letter is sent to: President Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, First Vice President of the European Commission , European Commissioner for the Euro and Social Dialogue , Edgars Rinkevics, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Rihards Kozlovskis, Minister of the Interior of Latvia

Attached: Annex I - Resolution of the Council of Europe (1987) Annex 11- Map: Foreigners in thousands and as % of total population in EU27, 2012

3 Annex I - Resolution of the Council of Europe (1987)

ParlWnentvy A'~ty Aucmb~ ~r1e:n~nt.al,..

Parliamentary Assembly Assemblee parlementaire

(auHClt (ONSEL Of EUROPE DE L'EURQP£

RESOLUTION 872 (1987)1011 the situation of the Baltic peoples

The Assembly.

I. Considering that Article I of both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights proclai rns the right of peoples to sci f• determination, and that the is a Contracting Party thereto;

2. Considering that Principle VIII of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe guarantees the right of peoples to self-determination and also their right, in full freedom. to determine, when and as they wish. their internal and external political status;

3. Recalling that the incorporation of the three Baltic states into the Soviet Union was and still is a flagrant violation of the right to self-determination of peoples, and that it remains unrecognised by the great majority of European states and many members of the international community ;

4. Considering that the elimination of the international problems created by this incorporation demands solutions on the basis of the international obligations entered into by the Soviet Union and other members of the international community;

S. Having noted and deplored serious violations of human rights, including freedom of religion, committed by the Soviet authorities in the three Baltic states :

6. Deploring the fact that, as a result of forced immigration into their area, the Baltic peoples are brought under pressure to assimilate, and that the lack of possibilities for education and cultural expression of their own is leading towards the loss of national identity:

7. Recalling the Resolution adopted by the on 13 January 1983, concerning the situation in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;

8. Believing that, politically, a solution of the Baltic problem can best be sought in the wider framework of East• West relations, in particular relations between the two superpowers;

9. Considering that an improvement of those relations could make it easier effectively to raise the question of

4 these countries' fate notably in the framework of the CSCE, the aim of which, by means of the endeavours of all European tates, is to overcome East-West antagonism while respecting the right of each freely to determine its political, economic, social and cultural systems in accordance with the wishes of its population;

10. Noting that some of the principles governing mutual relations between the states participating in the CSCE take note of the territorial demarcation inherited at the end of hostilities in 1945 (inviolability of frontiers, territorial integrity) without, however, freezing the situation or sanctioning the European status quo;

11. Emphasising that the Helsinki Final Act expressly provides for the possibility of changing frontiers, in accordance with international law, by peaceful means and by agreement ;

12. Emphasising that. in the field of human rights. the states participating in the CSCE cannot invoke the principle of national sovereignty in order to prevent discussion of respect for these rights,

13. Appeals to the Government of the Soviet Union to respect the right to self-determination and the human rights in the Baltic states;

14. Invites the governments of member states of the Council of Europe at the CSCE Conference in Vienna and, if need be, at further CSCE meetings to draw the attention of participating states to the serious violations of human rights and the right to self-determination in the three Baltic states.

I. Assembly debate on 28 January] 987 (25th Sitting) (see Doc. 5667, report of the Committee on Relations with European Non-Member Countries, and Doc. 5687, opinion of the Political Affairs Committee).

Text adopted by the Assembly D 28 January 1987 (25th Sitting).

Source: http:Uassembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta87/ERES872.htm

5 Annex II - Map: Foreigners in thousands and as % of total population in EU27, 2012

Foreigners as {Yo of total population 2012 Da1i1!rfJurte:nuUU2.0nHll Lessthan 2%

From 2%t05% There were 35 million migrants • From 6% to 9% in the EU, of which 21 million • From 10% to 15% were non-EU citizens. More than 16% ~ EUshare of the foreign population o 4827 foreigners In thousands 183

EU citizens living in a foreign country within the EU repre• sented 30/0 of the total popula• ~ 23 tion, with the highest concen• tration in Luxembourg (860/0) and lowest in Latvia (20/0).

~ 37

, ... .

.... -

Foreigners in thousands and as % of total population in fU27, 2012

The map presents the share, and the number in thousands, of foreigners within the resident population of each Member State. Foreigners are defined as persons whose country of citizenship differs from the country of their usual residence. -rhe colouring in the map represents the percentage of all foreign nationals living in the Member State (MS). The blue figure gives the number in thousands. The blue slice of the pie icons embedded in the map shows the proportion of EU citizens within the foreign population. Malta figures are for 2011.

The map shows that more than 16% of Latvia's total population are foreigners, of which only 2% are nationals of other EU Member States.

Source: http://epthinkta nk.eu/2013/07/09/m igratio n-in-the-eu/fo reigners-as-of-tota I-popu latio n- 2012/

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