Caritas Europa: Europe can take the lead against global indifference towards migrants
On the occasion of the International Migrants Day [18 December], Caritas Europa urges European leaders to implement migration policies that are in line with European core values. In light of the recently documented atrocities taking place in Libya, it is becoming clear that the world is in desperate need of a Europe that shows global leadership against the pervasive indifference to the suffering of migrants and refugees around the world.
Caritas Europa strongly encourages European decision makers to put in place progressive policies that put human well-being at the core of its objectives, such as opening safe and legal pathways to arrive to Europe. These could be in the form of raising the number of people being resettled, fostering family reunification procedures, issuing humanitarian visas, and establishing mechanisms that facilitate migration, as agreed under the Sustainable Development Goal framework (SDG 10.7).
“Implementing policies that facilitate the welcome, protection, promotion and integration of people is a vital way to invest in a dynamic and blooming Europe. It is about investing in the future of Europe and of our children,” said Jorge Nuño Mayer, Secretary General of Caritas Europa.
“As EU leaders are now negotiating the reform of the EU’s asylum system, they have the opportunity now to ensure that the system includes a robust mechanism of solidarity sharing across Member States. This is essential for putting migrants’ rights at the centre, and building on a cohesive and visionary Europe,” said Shannon Pfohman, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Caritas Europa.
