FLASH
Shkruar nga Harlem Désir & Susanna Zanfrini
This is not the first time that a member state has considered outsourcing responsibility for managing asylum and migration in this way, but there are fundamental reasons why these proposals have not gone ahead in the past: they are costly, cruel, counterproductive and legally questionable....
In the Italian city of Trieste, nearly 400 people take shelter every day in a dilapidated and abandoned building near the train station.
With an average wait of 70 days before asylum seekers can enter official reception facilities, they have nowhere else to go.
And while the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and other NGOs work tirelessly to provide food, water, information and legal advice, there is simply not enough to meet the growing level of need.
It is clear that EU member states such as Italy urgently need to invest in their reception systems, ensuring that these are part of a safe, orderly and humane approach to migration.
Everyone should have a safe place to sleep and access to their basic needs – especially women and children.
However, in the apparent absence of a stable EU asylum system that would ease the pressure on Europe's southernmost states, many are taking a different route.
Contracting responsibility
Instead, a number of European governments have explored deals with non-EU countries aimed at first stopping asylum seekers from setting foot on their soil.
The latest of them is Italy's new agreement with Albania. This would see most people rescued at sea in Italian waters sent directly to Albania, where they will be held in detention centers while their asylum claims are examined.
This is not the first time that a member state has considered outsourcing responsibility for managing asylum and migration in this way, but there are fundamental reasons why these proposals have not gone ahead in the past: they are costly, cruel, counterproductive and legally questionable.
A key concern is that EU states are legally required to uphold the right to seek asylum, regardless of how people arrive on their territory.
The proposal to send people rescued at sea to Albania is in clear opposition to this legal principle – not to mention the union's values of respect for human rights and dignity.
Second, Italy cannot guarantee that people's rights will be respected in the two planned detention centers in Albania.
While the Italian government has said that its new rules will not apply to pregnant women, children or people with disabilities, the agreement does not explicitly confirm this, and big questions remain about how this exemption will be implemented in practice.
The Risks
Furthermore, it is not yet clear how people held in Albanian centers will have access to legal advice. IRC teams in the Greek islands have documented the devastating impact of de facto detention on the mental health of asylum seekers, with 95% of people supported by our psychosocial teams in 2023 reporting symptoms of anxiety and 86% depression.
It is hard to see how this will be mitigated in Albania, a country that is not bound by EU rules and regulations.
Third, the EU's agreements with Turkey and other countries such as Libya and Tunisia provide clear evidence that preventive measures will not stop people from risking their lives in search of safety and security in Europe.
The measures simply exacerbate the risks and suffering faced by people in need of international protection, pushing them into the hands of smugglers or traffickers and onto increasingly dangerous routes.
Evidence shows that trying to deter asylum seekers by creating tougher policies has little or no effect on the number of arrivals.
Not only do these policies push people down the wrong path and violate basic rights, but they also fail to deter asylum seekers. It is time for the EU and its member states to create a different approach. / Adapted "Pamphlet" from "Euronews"
Note: Harlem Désir is the Senior Vice-President of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), for Europe and Susanna Zanfrini is the Country Director of the IRC in Italy.
Lini një Përgjigje