EU immigration: a pact villain?
Written by Editor November 17, 2008 in Asylum, news and events, the European Union
Source: www.misna.org
17 October 2008 - Theft of brains and threatens the right of asylum: these are two aspects that concern to humanitarian workers, civil rights activists and migrants themselves the day after the signing by the European Council that the immigration pact Asylum officially "adopted" yesterday by the heads of state of the 27 European Union (EU). While in soft and diplomatic language that usually must abide by the UN, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR / UNHCR) - in a statement that "welcomes the solemn commitment of the European Council to ensure that European policies on immigration and asylum respect the international refugee law and human rights "- calls to" ensure consistency "between immigration and asylum law, asking the EU to develop concrete measures to ensure that this principle is respected. "We can never have un''Europa asylum 'if the EU is not guaranteed access to those seeking protection," said Judith Kumin, UNHCR's representative in the European institutions. To better understand the words of the UN representative is useful to look at the protests, more explicit, civil rights activists. As evidenced by the French Coordination for the right of asylum is difficult to combine a Europe of the Fortress Europe which aims to increase resources and means for the system 'Frontex' (and in respect of which the pact recommends the creation of two commands one to the south and one east), the security system that should fight against illegal immigration. "How does an asylum seeker who arrived in Europe on board the ships of the sea of \u200b\u200bimmigrants, and who may not speak more than his tongue, in the middle of the Mediterranean to demonstrate to staff members of Frontex, which has the credentials to become a refugee? "writes a reader forum on the French Open. The other disturbing aspect, especially when viewed from an African perspective, it appears that immigration selective and "circular", ie a fixed term. Both terms are present in the Covenant adopted yesterday, the first with a request to work on creating a 'blue card': the second with an invitation to make more use of temporary legal migration channels, which ensures, in the Covenant, benefits also for the migrant and his country of origin. The idea of \u200b\u200ba 'blue card', which many have called a real 'brain drain' in Europe quell'immigrazione should attract high-profile and professionally qualified at the time for 55% choose to emigrate to the United States , Canada and Australia. In this 'market' of brain Europe it attracts only 5%. It matters little that in recent years, Africa has initiated a lively debate on the 'brain drain' and the depletion (particularly damaging and obvious in the health sector) of its professionals, in identifying this phenomenon as a major threat to its development. And if many African news sites already shows how Europe intends to "choose" its immigrants, the site 'Afrik.com', a portal of information related the whole continent, publishes an interesting article about " African complicity. " Recalling that already five African countries (Tunisia, Congo Brazzaville, Senegal, Benin and Gabon) signed with European countries, in exchange for development funding agreements, which already incorporates part of the pact will pass the information to analyze the contents. And so it turns out that "circular migration" - that is temporary, that the Pact is almost presented as a roundabout response to strong demand for African emigration to the European labor market - is applicable only to highly qualified people, businessmen , top athletes and artists. " He also discovers that the delivery of these permits must remain within an annual quota and that they are three years renewable once. Even more disconcerting number of these permits: second 'Afrik.com' agreements signed by France (also founder of the European Pact) with Benin and Congo Brazzaville provide no more than 150 permits a year. "This is too few, an extremely restrictive and applies only to qualified employees will increase the brain drain, a disaster for Africa," writes Stephanie Plasse of 'Afrik.com'. "The pact clearly indicates that the choice of Europe to have a more conservative approach to immigration (...) Look at immigration policies through the prism of 'control first', making this aspect more explicit than in the past," says at an international press agency Elizabeth Collet, policy analyst at the research center European Policy Center, which, unlike the activists, the deal looks from a different angle, and politically. "We have strong reservations about the direction taken by the immigration debate" echoed Bjarte Vandvik, secretary general of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles. "We believe that the Pact shift the balance further towards the security front - which so far has not provided any solution to the challenges European counterparts in terms of migration - and far from the action required to safeguard human rights," concludes the Vanvik. [CO]
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