Workshop recommendations – 13 April 2023 (pdf)
Workshop 1 : Safe pathways to Europe and access to protection in Europe for Afghans at risk – moderated by Olivia Sundberg, IRC
In the first part of the workshop, participants highlighted the severe risks that many Afghans continue to face in the country and the region, and the need for pathways to safety in Europe to be urgently expanded. Whereas several European governments have set up humanitarian admission schemes for Afghans in recent years, severe obstacles to accessing them remain. People experience difficulties in leaving the territory, delays in processing of their applications, untransparent and changing admission criteria, strict documentation requirements, and very narrow eligibility criteria.
Based on this, we put forward 3 key recommendations.
- EU institutions should continue calling on member states to expand and establish new resettlement, humanitarian visa schemes, and expanded family reunification, refugee resettlement from the region. They should call on governments to adopt flexible, humane, and pragmatic solutions to make existing pathways more accessible – such as easing documentation requirements, expanding eligibility criteria, and broadening the definition of the family.
- EU coordination and operational support should be strengthened, including through a reinforced role for the EU Asylum Agency. This could include joint operational support to process cases, shared admission lists, shared flights, and consulate capacity, as well as joint EU efforts to inform Afghans in the region of the different pathways to safety that exist and how to access them, providing official and verified information. This coordination would enable a truly European response to help Afghans at risk, modelling the strong EU-wide coordination of the Ukraine response.
- EU institutions should continue closely engaging the Afghan diaspora and refugees’ perspectives and expertise in policymaking, reflecting the partnership principle, as well as involving Afghan-led and refugee-led organisations
Die Europaabgeordneten Dietmar Köster, Tineke Strik, Pernando Barrena und Cornelia Ernst werden eine Afghanistan-Freundschaftsgruppe im Europäischen Parlament gründen.
Nachdem die EU-Innenminister gestern Abend eine Erklärung zur Situation in Afghanistan abgeben haben, debattiert heute auch der Innenausschuss des Europaparlaments über das Thema. Im Vordergrund steht das Thema Migration. Cornelia Ernst, Koordinatorin der Linksfraktion im EP-Innenausschuss kommentiert: „Die Erklärung der EU-Innenminister ist eine Farce. Entscheidend ist doch der sofortige Schutz gefährdeter Afghaninnen und Afghanen und nicht, wie die EU-Innenminister es wollen, die Abschottung der Festung Europa. Für die jetzige Situation in Afghanistan ist Europa mit verantwortlich – die Afghaninnen und Afghanen wurden in den letzten Wochen den Taliban praktisch ausgeliefert. Die EU darf ihre Verantwortung hier nicht ignorieren und muss die Menschen aufnehmen. Es geht um ein Mindestmaß politischen Anstands. … 