Activities of Laura AGEA related to 2015/2095(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration
Amendments (21)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomeRecalls the Commission’s commitment to take measures in order to respond to the unprecedented crisis in the Mediterranean and to improve management of migration in all its aspects by reinforcing its migration policy and adopting a strategic European Agenda on Migration, which is a good first step; highlights how art. 80 TFUE defines how the policies of the Union shall be governed by the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility, including its financial implications, between the Member States;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomAcknowledges the fact that the Commission has adopted an ambitious European migration agenda; urges the European Council to show the same level of ambition and to support the Commission by deedtaking practical measures designed to achieve shared objectives on the basis of the principles of solidarity and the fair distribution of responsibilities among all the Member States;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that numerous petitions submitted by EU citizens refer to a wide range of issues relating to the crisis in the Mediterranean, expressing shock at the tragic loss of life, the allegedbecause of the shortcomings in the implementation of the European asylum and migration acquis and violations of fundamental rights, the ineffectiveness of the existing Dublin systemIII Regulation and the lack of a comprehensive EU migration policy;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that as regards the medium term, the issue being raised by Europe’s current refugee crisis is the integration of refugees into European society; calls on the Commission, therefore, to opt for a plan geared towards social and occupational integration of refugees, not forgetting, however, that this can only be achieved by implementing immediately policies which actually tackle the issue of refugees, and that their social and occupational integration must be brought about in a manner fully consistent with human rights;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that, given the scale of the recent tragedies and the alarming increase in irregular arrivals and deaths at sea (137.000 arrivals in the first six months of 2015 according to UN Data), the EU and the Member States can no longer be observers but must take ownership of the debate and fully endorse the Commission Agenda on Migration;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Maintains that labour market data have to be taken into account in the permanent relocation mechanism for refugees in order to ensure that it will not worsen the social and economic situation for refugees’ home territories and their populations, taking account of the fact that the social and economic insecurity of these territories and their populations is a factor which is quite separate from the current refugee emergency; with that aim in view, calls on the Commission, in agreement with the Council, to strengthen the measures providing for a proportional distribution of refugees among the Member States, taking into consideration actual employment opportunities in these countries, to facilitate better integration of refugees;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that action taken by the EU needs to be regularly monitored and enhanced and, at the same time, the EU should support mutual learning and the exchange of best practices;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Emphasises that poverty in the European Union must be tackled in a way which puts the needs of European citizens first, but which also creates conditions in which every human being can lead a life of dignity, with all their basic needs met;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4 Points out that, in the Commission’s view, there is nothing to prevent European funds, including the European Social Fund, from being used to help integrate refugees; calls on fund managing authorities, however, to use the funds as rationally and effectively as possible without damaging other recipients and to ensure that their use is carefully and constantly monitored; calls on the Commission, in that connection to introduce a European funds traceability mechanism to ensure that they are used properly;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the EU and the Member States to adopt, as a matter of urgency, a comprehensive European migration and asylum policy, based on respect for human rights and dignity, international standards and the values on which the EU is builtrights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental rights of the EU;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Highlights that the 1951 Refugee Convention has set the global standard for refugee protection and that, at a moment of persistent and new conflicts, its principles are as important as ever; points out that the Common European Asylum System is an advanced regional protection legal framework and must be upheld and fully implemented by all Member States;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers the important preventive measures contained in the Commission’s agenda for fighting smuggling networks and tackling the root causes of migration to be long-term objectives, but recalls that, meanwhile, flows of people will continue and that a permanent relocation mechanism for people in need of international protection based on fair objective criteria is needed as a matter of urgencyRecalls that, currently, flows of people will continue and that a permanent relocation mechanism for people in need of international protection based on fair objective criteria is needed as a matter of urgency; highlights, therefore, that in order to effectively tackle criminal networks of smugglers and traffickers the EU needs legal and safe ways for both economic migrants and asylum seekers to reach Europe;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission, in consultation with the Member States, to set up a system to speed up diploma equivalence and the recognition of skills, thereby helping refugees and migrants to integrate socially; maintains that refugees and migrants must receive language training as soon as they arrive in the country to which they have been relocated, and highlights the importance of support staff, such as cultural mediators, in both the recognition and integration phases; emphasises, moreover, the fundamental role of schools in ensuring the healthy development of the children of refugees; points out that intellectual and cultural poverty is often no less serious than material poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that the lack of legal routes leaves no choice for many men, women and children but to turn to smugglers, at enormous cost and danger to their lives; deplores that in the current situation, before arriving in Europe, many migrants suffer high levels of abuse, exploitation and human rights violations;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to ensure a meaningful revision of the Dublin Regulation in order to alleviate sudden and disproportionate migration pressure on Member States such as Italy and MaltaGreece, which are more directly exposed to migrant flows, without undermining the security of the Union’s external borders;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points out to the Commission that illegal work by migrants constitutes a danger; notes that under the ‘Sanctions’ Directive1 and the ‘Seasonal Workers’ Directive2, employers can be punished for exploiting migrant labour; calls on the Commission, however, to work towards a more integration-oriented system serving to encompass all aspects of this problem; highlights the need to provide refugees with adequate protection, in order to eliminate the abuse of migrant labour; __________________ 1 Directive 2009/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 providing for minimum standards on sanctions and measures against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals (OJ L 168, 30.6.2009, p. 24). 2 Directive 2014/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the conditions of entry and stay of third-country nationals for the purpose of employment as seasonal workers (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 375).
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses the need for a binding and permanent relocation system for asylum seekers that is triggered automatically on the basis of clear, objective, measurable and identifiable criteria and that obliges all the Member States to equally share the burdens, in terms of effective reception of asylum seekers and financially;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Highlights two internal imbalances within the EU: the first one concerning arrivals, with Italy and Greece facing the large majority of all sea-borne landings, and the second one regarding destination, with Germany and Sweden that in 2014 received 43 per cent of all asylum applications in the EU;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Points out that when they sign an asylum-seeker’s employment contract, the employee and the employer are both running a risk to the extent that the application for asylum might be rejected; considers that this could also jeopardise the Commission’s aims regarding the policy of return to the home country; urges the Commission to introduce an appropriate verification tool to avert any such risk;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the EU and the Member States to provide an international framework for dialogue and a comprehensive debate on migration with third countries of origin and transit in order to ensure closer solidarity and cooperation with the EU, and address the root causes of migration and ensure progress on negotiations and full implementation of readmission agreements;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Deplores that in some Member States like Italy, a series of serious frauds and administrative irregularities, often perpetrated with the involvement of organised crime, took place in the management of some asylum-seeker reception centres, resulting both in the misuse of European funds and in the further worsening of the living conditions and protection of the human rights of migrants;