Priority

Picture with sign No border crossing — © imagemonkey

Protecting Schengen

Why internal border controls in Europe should be lifted immediately

Border controls in the European Schengen area jeopardise one of the most tangible achievements of an integrated Europe: the possibility to travel and live together in a common area without internal border controls. Internal border controls divide families and friends, they re-establish boundaries between long integrated regions and neighbourhoods and undermine the process of developing new regional cooperation. They seriously restrict our freedom. The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament stands up for the achievements of the Schengen area.

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Picture of the Hemicycle in Brussels — Photo European Parliament - Architecte : Association des architectes du CIC : Vanden Bossche sprl, C.R.V. s.a., CDG sprl, Studiegroep D. Bontinck

Plenary Flash

Greens/EFA priorities, 13 – 15 May 2020

During this week plenary session, the Parliament will debate and vote on the Recovery Plan & Multiannual Financial Framework. Discover the other major topics on the agenda and the Greens/EFA priority issues

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Greens/EFA Proposal for a Fair and Efficient Asylum System in Europe

New Paper

In view of the European Commission’s upcoming proposal for a new Pact on Migration and Asylum, the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament has just released a "Proposal for a fair and efficient asylum system in Europe.” This paper calls for increased support for the willingness of cities and municipalities to receive refugees and asylum seekers, a fair distribution of refugees and asylum seekers in the European Union, and compulsory compensation payments from EU governments that refuse European solidarity.

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Picture of refugees arriving inGgreece — ggia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Reports of shooting incident by Greek border guards must not go unanswered

Greek border/Migration

Using violence against people who are seeking help is not only a brutal violation of fundamental rights, but it is also the very antithesis of what the EU is about. The Greek government, Frontex and the European Commission must clarify exactly what happened and outline what steps they will take to ensure that force is not used against innocent people.

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European Court of Justice: Refusal to accept refugees violates EU law

Quote from Tineke Strik

The European Court of Justice has ruled, Thursday 2 April, that Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic should not have refused to admit refugees and asylum seekers. The suit was filed against the three countries by the European Commission.

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Kosovo: Vote of no confidence amid Corona crisis

Quote from Viola von Cramon-Taubadel MEP

The current political turmoil in Kosovo and the Corona pandemic should not be used to any individual politician's advantage. Kosovo needs a stable government that can lead its citizens through these times of uncertainty and crisis.

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Picture of migrants in Greece — Christopher Jahn/IFRC (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Evacuate vulnerable asylum seekers from Greek islands

Corona virus

Members of the European Parliament are calling on the crisis team of the European Commission to make an emergency plan to protect vulnerable asylum seekers against Covid-19. On the Greek islands are now more than 42.000 asylum seekers, while camps were supposed to house 6.000 people

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Greens/EFA call for the relocation of refugees from Greece

Refugees

MEPs will debate, Tuesday 10 March, the situation on the Turkish-Greek border and the demands on the European Union. On Thursday (12 March) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit the camps on the Greek islands.

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Meeting of Turkish President with President Ursula von der Leyen and President Charles Michel

Quote from Sergey Lagodinsky MEP

The Turkish President only has leverage as long as EU governments fail to agree on a fair European system for the distribution of refugees. The European Union and European governments must do everything in their power to end the humanitarian disaster in Idlib and to exert influence on Russia

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Kids at lesbos refugee camp | Fotomovimiento (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Europe must protect human rights and the rule of law

Situation on the Greece-Turkey border

"It is shameful that refugees are beaten away at European borders with batons and tear gas and when the Greek military conjures up civil war-like scenes against refugees," comments Greens/EFA co-president Ska Keller.

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European Parliament Building Strasbourg ©Cquim

A Greens/EFA take on the plenary week

Plenary week, 10-14 February 2020

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the future EU/UK relationship, conclusion of the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, objection to the energy projects ‘PCI List’, humanitarian situation of refugees at EU external borders, automated decision-making processes, the illegal trade in companion animals in the EU, and the Gender Equality Strategy.

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Humanitarian situation of refugees at EU external borders

Greens/EFA MEPs trip to Croatian border with Bosnia and Herzegovina

Greens/EFA MEPs Saskia Bricmont, Erik Marquardt and Tineke Strik have returned from a fact-finding mission to Croatia's border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and to refugee camps where they confirmed reports of violent returns of asylum seekers and migrants from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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