Posted Jun 29, 2018

EU Council Summit

European leaders confusing migration crisis with political crisis

Media Reaction, Brussels – 29 June 2018

European leaders confused a political crisis with a migration crisis when agreeing today to explore opening ‘disembarkation platforms’ at the European Council summit in Brussels.

Delphine Moralis, Secretary General of Terre des Hommes, said:
“This decision to look into exploring ‘disembarkation platforms’ could put children and other migrants in grave danger. The European Commission must keep the best interests of children front and centre of any recommendations it reaches on this.”

“Proposals to provide support for the Libyan coastguard will do little to combat people smuggling. The Libyan coastguard has already been implicated in people trafficking despite receiving both funds and training from the EU. Smuggling networks have embedded themselves into governmental structures in Libya – making migrant children more not less likely to use them.”

Caroline Horne, Head of the Destination Unknown campaign, said:
“This is not a migration crisis. It is a political crisis. These measures will not deter people escaping poverty and conflict but increase the dangers they face when trying to reach Europe.”

“By militarising the Mediterranean to keep people out, European leaders are not saving Europe but pandering to the xenophobic populism which already risks undermining it. Adopting these inhumane policies will fuel this xenophobia, threatening the rights of everybody living in Europe.”

 

Contact

For more information, please contact Paul Creeney, Communications Officer on +32 (0) 465 946 509 or by email at paul.creeney@terredeshommes.org.

 

Notes to Editors

• Terre des Hommes and the Destination Unknown campaign released a press release yesterday ahead of the European Summit on why European leaders should place humanity and solidarity at the heart of its asylum policies.

 

Picture: A young migrant in a reception centre in Italy. ©Tdh / Francois Struzik

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