Oxfam: Beyond “Fortress Europe” – Principles for a humane EU migration policy

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 2015, in response to the dramatic increase in the number of people crossing

the Mediterranean in search of safety and a better life, the European Commission published the European Agenda on Migration. The policy, also known as the Migration Agenda, was adopted by European heads of state and

government in the European Council meeting of 25–26 June 2015 and has

since formed the basis of European actions on migration.More than two years after the Migration Agenda

was adopted, it is clear that EU institutions and member states have not taken a balanced approach to

managing migration. Instead they have focused their efforts on reducing irregular migration and increasing border management, with very little attempt to increase options for safe and regular migration, and insufficient concernor the

human rights and living conditions of asylum seekers.

 

Oxfam has seen first -hand the devastating impact of some of the Migration Agenda measures and other recent European policies on people moving across borders, and is calling on European decision makers to adopt a migration policy

which is fair, protects human rights and is conducive to development. A better approach is both urgently needed, and possible. In the meantime, the current European approach is pushing people to take longer and more dangerous

routes, increasing the hardship and risks they face, with women and children at particular risk of violence and trafficking.

 

 

KJ