JOIN THE CAMPAIGN

FOR A WELCOMING EUROPE

WELCOMING PEOPLE WITH OPEN ARMS

A growing number of municipalities and regions in Europe are prepared to welcome asylum seekers; and many citizens want to help and show solidarity. We want to make sure that people who want to welcome other people with open arms are actually able to do so, and without being harassed or intimidated.

EU GOVERNMENTS BLOCKING AND CRIMINALISING SOLIDARITY

In today’s European Union, the voice of citizens wanting to welcome refugees and asylum seekers is not taken into account. People and NGOs helping refugees with food and water or rescuing people at sea are even being harassed and criminalised.

We need to stand up for and support the people who are being harassed for their humanity, and reform the Migration and Asylum Pact so that those who want to welcome refugees can do so properly.

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WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE

Specifically, we want to support the solidarity of NGOs and citizens that are rescuing people, influence decision makers and rally around NGOs that are being criminalised for helping refugees and asylum seekers. We believe that citizens’ initiatives and the work of NGOs should be a starting point in any future solidarity and relocation schemes in Europe.

Also, since the current Pact on Migration & Asylum discussed by European institutions does not address the growing movement of local communities, it needs to be reformed. We want to make sure that it reflects the clear support for “welcoming” initiatives, so that national authorities stop blocking people from welcoming those in need.

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HOW WE WORK FOR A WELCOMING EUROPE

Let’s support solidarity !

  • We support NGOs and citizens that are being harassed, receive threats and are sometimes dragged to court because they rescue refugees and migrants at sea, or because they give them water, food or clothes.
  • We raise awareness around these cases and put pressure on national governments to fight against these worrying trends in many Member States
  • We showcase local initiatives throughout Europe that are ready to welcome asylum seekers and refugees, and amplify their voices on EU level
  • We mobilise EU citizens to take action and put pressure on their local governments to show solidarity and follow the example of other cities and municipalities
  • We team up with NGOs, researchers, think tanks and Green municipalities to raise awareness around these initiatives
  • We advocate for the voluntary reception capacity concept on EU level (to be included in the Migration Pact) and for the fact that the EU should provide financial incentives to municipalities and regions receiving asylum seekers.

OUR CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES

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Press release |

Greens/EFA welcome agreement on special measures for refugees fleeing Ukraine

Ministers in the Justice and Home Affairs Council have agreed, for the first time, to trigger the ‘Temporary Protection Directive’ to support people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Greens/EFA Group are calling on EU Member States and the Commission to ensure that all people fleeing the war are able to find sanctuary in the E…
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Video |

Access to migration and integration funding for cities

Watch the recording of our webinar co-organised by the Municipal Integration and Development Initiative (MIDI) and the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament
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©katie-moum
Black wall with Streetart Everyone is welcome
Event |

Access to migration and integration funding for cities

Join this webinar on 'Access to migration and integration funding for cities: What can (not) be achieved within the new EU budget?', co-organised by the Municipal Integration and Development Initiative (MIDI) and the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament.
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Belarus OUT (Photo by Leonid Shcheglov / BELTA / AFP)
A picture taken on November 8, 2021 shows migrants at the Belarusian-Polish border in the Grodno region.
Press release |

Commission plans tantamount to accepting pushbacks

The European Commission has just announced that it will allow Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to ‘re-direct’ asylum seekers to a formal border crossing point, where they can be detained for up to 20 weeks. The proposal implicitly endorses the current practice of pushbacks at the borders with Belarus, which brings asylum seekers, including fa…
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© Kancelaria Premiera (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Belarus Border Refugees
Event |

Live Q&A on EU external borders: Human lives instrumentalised in a geopolitical conflict

MEP Tineke Strik recently visited the Poland and Lithuanian border with Belarus, and MEP Damian Boeselager recently visited Athens and Samos. In a live, together, they will reflect on their missions, explain the current crises at the EU external border and discuss their priorities of how the EU can improve the situation on the ground.
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Photo by Lydia Hague on Unsplash
Fence on Lesvos
Press release |

Greens/EFA MEPs call for end to criminal charges against Humanitarian Workers

Over 71 MEPs have sent an open letter to the European Commission and the Greek government, in support of humanitarian workers facing possible 25 years’ imprisonment as Greece cracks down on activists engaged in search and rescue. This Thursday, the trial of humanitarian workers will start in Greece and could result in the activists spend…
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© tanner-van-dera
fence
Letter |

Supporting Humanitarian Workers at the EU’s External Border

On 21st August 2018, Greek Police arrested humanitarian workers Seán Binder, Sarah Mardini and Nassos Karakitsos along with over 20 others. They were subsequently taken to Mytilene police station, questioned, and detained on orders of the Magistrate of Mytilene and held in pre-trial detention...
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Photo by Olivier Miche on Unsplash
Mountains
Press release |

New EU Asylum Agency first step to a functioning common European asylum system

The European Parliament has voted in favour of establishing a fully-fledged EU Asylum Agency (EUAA) which will replace the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). The Greens/EFA group welcomes the establishment of this new agency. This is the first asylum related law to be adopted since at least 6 years, when the Commission proposed a se…
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© tanner-van-dera
fence
Press release |

EFA President calls for European response to crisis at EU/Belarus border

President of the EFA Group in the European Parliament Jordi Solé MEP has called for a European response to the growing migrant crisis at the EU's border with Belarus. Belarus' dictator Lukashenko stands accused of cruelly using migrants as a tool in a hybrid attack on the EU, follo...
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Marcuscalabresus (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sign Riace marina
Opinion |

Solidarity is not a crime - We stand with Mimmo Lucano for a refugee policy of solidarity and humanity

Damien Carême
Opinion by Damien Carême
We, Members of the European Parliament give our support to Mimmo Lucano. We salute his noble fight for a dignified reception of those seeking refuge.

SHOWCASE SOLIDARITY

Since the start of the migration crisis in 2015, over a thousand municipalities in Europe have demonstrated their willingness to welcome asylum-seekers and refugees. But despite the willingness of people across the EU to show compassion, shelter and assistance to refugees, EU asylum policy currently prevents cities and municipalities to receive those in need.

BUT YOU CAN ACT!

Check out our interactive map, and discover the communities that are willing to welcome, place your city there or write to your mayor. Also make sure to read our blog!

Find out what you can do to help