A bridge across the moat for a welcoming Europe, not one of ‘Fortresses’ and siege.

As we mark 20 years of World Refugee Day and the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Caritas Europa calls on policy makers to protect the right to asylum and the dignity of people on the move, and to facilitate human mobility instead of building walls.

As Pope Francis rightly stresses: the globalisation of indifference must cease, and European countries must respect the rights and dignity of people on the move. Concrete action must replace mere intentions in order to end pushbacks and violence and to respect and uphold the Refugee Convention as well as the values on which the EU is founded,

Maria Nyman, Secretary General of Caritas Europa.

Despite the increasing number of people forcibly displaced worldwide (82.4 million), Caritas Europa is concerned that asylum is under threat in Europe. European countries are increasingly closing access to their territories, including through illegal pushbacks and acute violence towards people seeking protection and a better life in Europe.

The “Balkan Route” is a case in point. The documentary “The Game: Fortress of Europe”, produced by the Slovenian national broadcaster RTV Slovenija with the support of Caritas Slovenia, features shocking and heart-breaking stories of people, including families and children, who have been violently and repeatedly pushed back by police and border forces between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The “Balkan Route” is not an isolated case unfortunately. Every day, people die before our eyes in relative indifference while trying to reach Europe. In 2021, more than 800 people have already disappeared in the Mediterranean waters, and more than 13,000 have been intercepted and returned to Libya. Despite vast evidence on the dramatic situation for migrants in Libya, European countries continue to cooperate with the country to prevent people’s arrival in Europe.

Global solidarity with refugees and the countries hosting them is also deeply needed. UNHCR identified 1.4 million refugees as particularly vulnerable and in need of resettlement, yet only 22,800 refugees were resettled in 2020. Instead of trying to externalise their asylum responsibilities to third countries, European countries must wake up and step-up resettlement and other admission pathways in the years ahead.

On this World Refugee Day, Caritas Europa urges European policy makers to rethink their indifference, which results in those trying to reach Europe being caught in a lethal “game,” to instead apply a more human-centred approach, respecting EU values and legal commitments. In this regard, we reiterate the need to protect, promote, welcome and integrate people on the move.

More information

Leïla Bodeux

Policy and Advocacy Officer
Tel: +32 (0)2 235 26 55
Mob: +32 (0)478 585 409
Skype: l.bodeux-ce
lbodeux@caritas.eu

Sebastian Temlett

Communication Officer
Tel: +32 (0)2 235 26 52
Mob: 32 (0)492 505 860
stemlett@caritas.eu