Priorities, not wish lists, needed for a truly ‘holistic’ approach to the migrant crisis

The European Parliament has today adopted a set of recommendations for what it calls an ‘holistic’ approach to the migration crisis, but in reality the recommendations adopted represent a ‘lowest common denominator’ of what the left and the right can agree.

The European Parliament has today adopted a set of recommendations for what it calls an ‘holistic’ approach to the migration crisis, but in reality the recommendations adopted represent a ‘lowest common denominator’ of what the left and the right can agree.

Helga Stevens MEP, European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) lead member on the proposals, said she could not support the proposals which centralise decision-making regarding asylum and immigration policy, and seek to open new routes for legal migration.
Instead, Mrs Stevens and ECR home affairs coordinator Timothy Kirkhope have published a list of ten priorities that focus on stemming the flows of migrants, with a clear distinction between economic migrants and refugees.

Mrs Stevens said:

“In an attempt to find an ‘holistic’ approach to resolving this crisis we have created a Christmas tree with baubles for both the political left and the right. There is no comprehensive plan at all. The only area that both sides can agree on is to create a highly centralised asylum system that forces decisions onto Member States without strict conditions, like a maximum limit.

“These proposals adopted by the parliament today fail to get to the core of the problem. They fail to make a clear distinction between refugees and economic migrants, nor do they set out any plan for speeding up processing and returns. They make no effort to push for the EU’s rules and the Dublin regulation to be applied by all Member States, and there is no clear focus on supporting the proper integration and activation of refugees that are given shelter in our territory.

“We have voted against this report and its unworkable proposals, and have instead proposed an alternative set of priorities that would actually stem flows and focus on the fundamentals of border protection, processing, returns and providing humanitarian conditions and integration of refugees.”