Our proposal for a fair and efficient asylum system in Europe
With this paper we, the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, present our proposal for the future Common European Asylum System.
We believe this is necessary because we in Europe are currently not treating refugees with the dignity they deserve.
The Greek islands must not continue to be misused for a hotspot system that inevitably leads to a humanitarian disaster. Nor must people have to spend years there before a decision is made on their asylum application. Instead, we need fast, fair and orderly procedures at the EU's external borders.
This is how we envisage a common European asylum system based on solidarity:
Refugees will be common and open centres registered and also pass through security checks. Asylum applications are processed in a common European database registered and processed.
Shortly after their arrival asylum seekers are interviewed in order to identify specific needs and to determine and to determine the host Member State. The personal connections and The preferences of asylum seekers should be taken into account in the distribution process.
An EU Agency for Asylum is responsible for the final decision on the distribution to other other Member States and the management of the distribution mechanism.
The distribution of asylum seekers should no longer be based on the principle of first entry, whereby the state in which people first set foot on European soil is always responsible for asylum procedures. This system has failed.
Voluntary and compulsory solidarity
In order to distribute asylum seekers fairly, we would instead like to see a create a two-tier system with positive incentives to strengthen solidarity.
The first stage is based on voluntary solidarity. It is based on the willingness of cities and regions to take in refugees. In Germany alone more than 150 cities, towns and municipalities have declared themselves safe havens. The EU should further promote such willingness to take in refugees by assuming the costs.
The second stage is based on binding solidarity by all EU Member States: If voluntary admission reaches its limits, member states will create new reception places or make a financial contribution to the total cost of admission. If this is not sufficient either, the EU Commission will solve the problem with a yellow card a warning system and takes further action if necessary.
Those who do not want to help must pay
The Commission shall ensure, through a transparent monitoring mechanism, that all Member States comply with the rules of the Common European Asylum System and that asylum seekers everywhere are provided with decent conditions in accordance with common minimum standards.
We need an asylum system that rewards and encourages solidarity, not punishes it. The times when states are ashamed of helping people in need must be over. European values will be abolished if it continues to be worthwhile for EU members to refuse to show any solidarity.Those who want to help must be supported. Those who don't want to help should pay for it.