26 Amendments of Sylvie GUILLAUME related to 2012/2032(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union has committed itself to completing the establishment of a Common European Asylum System (CEAS) in 2012; however the race against time which has been embarked upon in order to meet this commitment should not in any way jeopardise the quality of this system;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A bis (new)
Recital A bis (new)
Aa. whereas solidarity must go hand in hand with responsibility; Member States must ensure that their asylum systems are able to meet the standards laid down in international and European law, in particular the Geneva Convention on Refugees of 1951, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas effective solidarity and fair responsibility-sharing must be perceived as a means to assist Member States in complying with their obligation to provide protection to those in need of international protection and assistance to third countries hosting the largest numbers of refugees, with the aim of strengthening the common area of protection as a whole;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the fact that there has been a sharp decrease in the number of asylum applications in the past decade in the EU; highlights that certain Member States face disproportionatesignificant numbers of asylum requests compared to others, and that asylum applications are unevenly spread across the EU; stresses that it is crucial to identify these inequalities by, inter alia, comparing absolute numbers and capacity indicators;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that a high level of protection for asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection cannot be achieved if the discrepancies in the proportion of asylum applications and in the technical and administrative capacities in different Member States are not redressedrefugee support measures in the different Member States are not able to deal adequately with influxes of asylum seekers;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Takes the view that although the number of asylum applications is not constant, it is predictable to some extent, especially as regards EU entry pointMember States should ensure that fair and effective asylum systems are put in place; insofar as arrivals of asylum seekers are neither static nor predictable, such a system should make it possible for any Member State to be ready to deal with variations in the number of asylum applications and able to benefit from solidarity measures;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the importance of collecting, analysing and putting in perspective reliable, accurate, comprehensive, comparable and up-to-date statisticalquantitative and qualitative data, in order to monitor and evaluate measures and acquire a sound understanding of asylum-related issues; Member States are thus encouraged to provide to EASO and the Commission relevant data on asylum issues, in addition to the data provided under the Migration Statistics Regulation and the EASO Regulation;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that the establishment of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has the potential to promote closer cooperation among Member States in order to help reduce significant divergences in asylum practices, with a view to creating better and fairer asylum systems in the EU; notes that this active, practical cooperation must go hand in hand with the legislative harmonisation of European asylum policies;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 bis (new)
Paragraph 10 bis (new)
10a. Notes that the impact of EASO will depend on the willingness of Member States to make use of the opportunities it affords and on their determination to engage in such collaboration; stresses that it is therefore essential for procedures to be put in place to facilitate the secondment of officials to Member States under particular pressure in asylum matters and to promote the creation of teams of experts, social workers and interpreters who could be mobilised rapidly in a crisis;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls the need for EASO to provide technical support and specific expertise to Member States when implementing the asylum legislation, and to identify potential shortcomings in Member States’ asylum systems; this evaluation should be carried out in cooperation with civil society and the UN Refugee Agency;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Takes note of the recommendation of the Commission and Council regarding inter-Agency cooperation between EASO and Frontex, and stresses that the full and swift implementation of Frontex's Fundamental Rights Strategy is a sine qua non for any such cooperation in the context of international protection; emphasises that any cooperation must be viewed in the context of increasing protection standards for asylum seekers for both emergency responses and proactive measures, and stresses that EASO should support the integration of matters linked to international protection into Frontex’s work, in line with the changes made to Frontex’s legal basis; calls also for collaboration with the Agency for Fundamental Rights in this respect;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph - 14 bis (new)
Paragraph - 14 bis (new)
-14a. Notes the importance of focusing the European budget on added value at EU level and of maximising the effectiveness of national funding in areas of common interest for the EU; stresses that European funding should under no circumstances be a substitute for national budgets allocated to asylum policies;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -14 ter (new)
Paragraph -14 ter (new)
-14b. Notes that Member States must ensure that full use is made of the opportunities afforded by the European Refugee Fund, and that all appropriations allocated can be disbursed so that project leaders do not face problems when implementing funded projects;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 bis (new)
Paragraph 14 bis (new)
14a. Stresses that it is necessary for its funds to be sufficiently flexible and easy to mobilise, in order to be able to respond rapidly and appropriately to unforeseen pressures or asylum crises affecting one or several Member States;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the home affairs policy dialogues with individual Member States on their use of the funds preceding multiannual programming; recommends reinforcing the partnership principle by including civil society, local authori on their use of the funds and achievement of the objectives and relevant stakeholdersof the area of freedom, security and justice using the EU budget;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 bis (new)
Paragraph 15 bis (new)
15a. Stresses the importance of participatory action to achieve optimal results and calls therefore for the partnership between the Member States and all the public authorities involved, as well as with stakeholders, including civil society and international organisations, to be strengthened and made obligatory; partners will be involved in the development, implementation, follow-up and evaluation of national programmes;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underlines the importance of financial responsibility-sharing in the field of asylum, and recommends creating a well- resourced mechanism to compensate Member States receiving high numbers of asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, in either absolute or proportional terms, and to help those with less developed asylum systems; considers that further research is required to identify and quantify the real costs of hosting and processing asylum claims, as well as the costs arising from policies on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Underlines the problems currently linked to the funding of activities in terms of obstacles to access to accurate information and funding, the setting-up of realistic and tailored objectives and the implementation of effective follow-up measures; calls therefore for better information, publicity and transparency to be funded under the new framework;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses the importance of strict oversight with regard to the funds’ use and management, on the basis of specificquantitative and qualitative indicators and specific criteria, in order to avoid the misallocation of human and financial resources and to guarantee compliance with the objectives established; welcomes, in this respect, the setting-up of a common evaluation and monitoring system;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 bis (new)
Paragraph 19 bis (new)
19a. Believes that, within the framework of a comprehensive approach, financial solidarity on asylum matters must also take advantage of other European financial instruments, which requires strategic programming and strong inter- ministerial coordination;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that the Dublin Regulation, which governs the allocation of responsibility for asylum applications, while placing a disproportionate burden on Member States constituting entry points into the EU, does not provide the means for them to respond adequately to the administrative and financial demands involved; notes that, in the current context of very divergent national asylum systems, the Dublin system as it has been applied so far has led to the unequal treatment of asylum seekers across the EU while also having an adverse impact on family reunification and integration; stresses, moreover, its shortcomings in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, since more than half of agreed transfers never take place and multiple applications are still the rule;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Emphasises that joint processing should offer added value with respect to the quality of the decision-making process, ensuring and facilitating fair, efficient and rapid procedures; underlines the fact that improving asylum procedures from the outset (frontloading) can reduce the length and cost of the procedure, therefore benefiting both asylum seekers and Member States;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 bis (new)
Paragraph 27 bis (new)
27a. Calls for EASO to encourage, facilitate and coordinate exchanges of information and other activities in connection with joint processing;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls on the Commission to include strong procedural safeguards and clear criteria in its proposal for a permanent EU relocation scheme, in order to guarantee potential beneficiaries‘ best interests recommends involving the host community, civil society and local authorities from the outset in relocation initiatives; ; such safeguards should ensure that beneficiaries are provided with accurate and complete information as to their situation and potential relocation, as well as being given sufficient time and proper conditions enabling them to make an informed decision, that they consent to being relocated, that refusal to be relocated does not prejudice their situation in any way, and that the selection procedure is based on transparent and non-discriminatory criteria; recommends involving the host community, civil society and local authorities from the outset in relocation initiatives as such an inclusive and comprehensive approach is beneficial both to relocated persons and to the receiving Member State;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Underlines that while relocation can both offer lasting solutions for beneficiaries of international protection and alleviate Member States’ asylum systems, it must not result in responsibility shifting; insists that relocation should include, in the form of an action plan, strong commitments from Member States benefiting from relocation to effectively address protection gapissues in their asylum system and to guarantee high levels of protection for those remaining in the sender Member States in line with the standards laid down in international and European law, in particular the Geneva Convention on Refugees of 1951, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Stresses that while infringement proceedings can be appropriate under certain circumstances to ensure the proper functioning of a Member State’s asylum system, they should be considered a measure of last resort and must be accompanied by support measures, operational plans and oversight mechanisms, in order to yield results and not overwhelm already burdened systemsd regular evaluations of legal instruments must be supplemented by additional measures, preferably preventive; different forms of financial and practical assistance can thus be provided in order to achieve the full and correct implementation of European asylum legislation;