Sans-Papiers und kein Ende? Nicht nur Österreich, ganz Europa muss seine Asyl- und Migrationspolitik ändern

Die Europäische Union betont stets, dass sie auch eine Union der Werte ist – dies häufig, um den Beitritt der Türkei zu blockieren; gemeint sind nämlich die christlich-abendländischen vor allem derjenigen, die “Wertegemeinschaft” so gern in den Mund nehmen.Dabei gibt es, ein Erbe der Französischen Revolution, tatsächlich so etwas wie universelle Werte, die von Europa ausgingen. Genau diese Werte aber scheinen Europa derzeit verloren zu gehen. Es geht, in den Worten des ELDR-Vizepräsidenten und führenden Funktionäre der italienischen liberalen Partei “Italia dei Valori” Leoluca Orlando um Freiheit, Sicherheit und Gerechtigkeit. Genau dies wird häufig Asylwerbern und Migrantinnen und Migranten nicht zugestanden: ihre Menschenrechte.

Orlando kritisiert deren Situation in drastischen Worten: “Europäische Migrantinnen und Migranten werden oft als Waren gesehen, wenn sie im Transit sind; als Feindinnen und Feinde, wenn sie einwandern; als eine Gefahr für die Gesellschaft, wenn sie sich bereits innerhalb der europäischen Grenzen befinden.”

Das Ganze auf dem Hintergrund einer vorgeblichen Identitätskrise der ansässigen Bevölkerung, verursacht einerseits durch die Entfremdung der ansässigen Bevölkerung von politischen Entscheidungen auf nationaler Ebene (Europäisierung und Angst vor Brüssel), andererseits durch eine beschämende Vernachlässigung der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit von europäischer Seite, die sich im Mangel an materieller und finanzieller Unterstützung zeigt. Die, zusammen mit autoritären  Machtverhältnissen in zahlreichen Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern, führt zu Auswanderungswellen von Menschen, die auf ein menschenwürdiges Leben in Europa hoffen.

Migration ist ein Prozess, der die Geschichte der Menschheit kennzeichnet. Im 19. Jahrhundert waren es Migrantinnen und Migranten aus Europa, die weltweit ihr Heil in der Emigration suchten und die Einwanderungsländer, allen voran die USA, Kanada und Australien zu ihrer heutigen Blüte brachten.

Europa ist heutzutage ein Zielgebiet für Einwanderung geworden, hat aber bisher in der Integrationspolitik versagt.  Es hat sich, statt Integration und Schutz der Menschenrechte zur zentralen  Aufgabe zu erklären, auf Abwehr und Kontrolle konzentriert. Mehrere EU-Mitgliedsstaaten, wie Griechenland, Malta und Italien, werden laufend von Menschenrechtsorganisationen mit Recht scharf kritisiert. Rassismus und Xenophobie werden überall in Europa wieder salonfähig.

Orlandos Appel:

“Jede Bürgerin und jeder Bürger in Europa muss sich bewusst werden, dass Migrantinnen und Migranten Menschen sind, deren Rechte gewahrt bleiben müssen”.

Introduction

The recent ELDR Spring Council meeting in Rome, Italy debated the issue of migration during which I offered the following thoughts on the human rights treatment of migrants.

Background

Migration and the protection of fundamental human rights are, undoubtedly, crucial issues in the EU common foreign and security policy as well as in terms of creating a European area of freedom, security and justice.

For twenty years, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, we are witnessing a continuous and ever increasing flow of people that reach or try to reach our “golden” continent, leaving behind them a dramatic scenario of poverty, war and the violation of their human rights.

In this regard, I strongly believe that this topic cannot be discussed without reference to what happened after November 9th, 1989. After the fall of the Berlin Wall we realised that a global dimension of politics and economics exists. Before that day the adjective “global” was not so commonly in use as it became the day after the fall of the Wall. We can assume that there was a global dimension in relation to science as well as in relation to faith, but there was not any global dimension in relation to politics and economics.

After November 1989, in connection with the discovery of a global dimension of politics and economics, we also witnessed what could be called an “explosion of identities”. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, in fact, there was only one big identity, depending on which side of the Wall you lived. Nobody cared if someone was Sicilian or Taliban, Jewish or Muslim, German or Ethiopian. What was important was only whether someone lived on one side of the Wall or the other.

Main points of discussion

The so called “explosion of identities” caused other ruptures, those of local, often tribal, conflicts; the brake up of national communities, together with the lack of political control and balance; the inadequacy of financial and material aids in favour of developing and underdeveloped countries; and finally, the escape of millions of human beings from unliveable situations towards the hope of a better and more dignified life in Western countries, such as EU Member States.

It is therefore a matter of fact that there is in operation a global process of mobility of human beings from one country to another. From the European perspective, the problem is that some European countries are adopting a very unilateral, or what some could even call a nationalistic approach, towards migrants.

I am afraid that in Europe migrants are often considered to be like goods, when they are in transit; like enemies, when they try to enter; and like a danger to society, when they are already within the Union’s borders. Due to this concern I feel the dramatic need to remember and underline that migrants are human beings!

I also feel the need to say that it is incomprehensible that the process of global mobility can be arrested.

I believe that Europe has not made enough progress in appropriately responding to the migration of people to its territory. The migration policies of the EU are still inadequate to face the pressures of population movement at its Southern and Eastern borders.

We all know that since the Maastricht treaty some steps have been made. But all of these steps, even after the Amsterdam treaty, have placed too much emphasis on the repressive aspect of migration policies. What we need now is a broader social and humanitarian approach that also gives value to the economic development of countries of origin as well as to the wealth of the EU.

The legislative framework in relation to asylum, visa policy, legal immigration and the fight against illegal immigration have been characterized by a lack of harmonization across the Union. Therefore, if we consider that the policy on legal immigration is still largely a prerogative of Member States, it becomes very difficult for the EU institutions to fulfill the goal to create an area of freedom, security and justice while ensuring the respect of fundamental rights in each Member State.

It is a matter of fact that some Union states, namely Italy, Greece and Malta, are under serious observation by international organizations, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; the Council of Europe; and the NGO, Human Rights Watch, for breaches of European standards on human rights in relation to their legislative frameworks and migration policies.

To exemplify, since May 2009, Italy began intercepting boat migrants at sea and returning them to Libya, ignoring widespread international criticism. With these actions no screening was conducted to identify refugees or vulnerable people in need of protection, in violation of Italy’s international obligations. Moreover, migrants were detained upon arrival in Libya. Several concerns, in relation to the respect of human rights, are also increasing due to the enforcement of the “Treaty of Friendship” between Italy and Libya, that entered into force in March 2009, and that provides for joint naval patrols in Libyan territorial waters.

Furthermore there is an ongoing dispute between Malta and Italy over who is responsible for rescuing migrants encountering problems when they try to reach Italy by boat. In the course of this unintelligible dispute, last summer, over 70 African migrants died trying to reach Italy.

Conclusions

The main concern is that migration and asylum policies remain focused on controlling borders, rather than on human rights. Moreover, several Member States have adopted measures to criminalize irregular immigration; lengthen administrative detention; and restrict access to asylum. There are also very strong concerns about the spread of racism and xenophobia in Europe.

Any measures to counter irregular immigration and to defend external borders, especially if in cooperation with third countries, must be compatible with the safeguards and fundamental rights of the individual in accordance with national, European and international law.

I think that everybody should feel the dramatic need to remember and underline that migrants are still human beings. And as human beings they must be respected.

To view an ELDR Party resolution about Italian immigration policies, adopted on 12th March 2010, click here.

By Leoluca Orlando MP, ELDR Party Vice President, Italia dei Valori, Italy