Dear all,
I have completed our section on migration. Please see the proposal with comments, including some question marks, in the shared document here: Asylum.docx
Based on our discussion during the meeting, I drafted more encompassing introduction followed by sections on immigration and asylum. I emphasized international cooperation regarding immigration and forced migration as a way forward.
The main concern of Swedish PP was that the proposal of German PP on asylum was politically charged and could create unwanted polarization. I softened the language, avoided the strong moral appeal but tried to keep its human ethos. I hope I didn’t miss anything important for PPGE.
I picked up some suggestions from PPSE’s response and added them as bullet points – but they are followed by question marks.
The Swedish PP also argued that there should be limits, whereas German PP is for expanding the eligibility for granting asylum. In my and many others’ view, the argument of "too many“ serves as a tool for legitimization for exclusion of those who do not belong to our civilizational circle – this showed us war in Syria and confirmed the war in Ukraine.
Even though naive, my suggestion here would be demanding a reform of asylum system based on public debate across the whole Europe, ideally followed by a referendum as a part of our effort to strengthen elements of direct democracy. I left this paragraph open with a question mark. The text will sound okay even without it. My opinion on this is that we need a thorough reform of approaching migration and asylum system that will reflect not only political interests but also values of contemporary Europeans.
I also included a paragraph on human smuggling and trafficking in the introduction. It touches upon the issue of Frontex, rescue on sea, criminalization of humanitarian aid as undermining the principle of Legal certainty, and the Rule of Law in the EU. I want to ask you for your opinion on this as it hasn’t been discussed. However, it’s based on solid academic grounds. Sources and more comments are in the document.
Cheers.