Managing the refugee and migration crisis

A civil society delegation from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) today (16 December) began a series of 12 country visits with a three-day visit to Greece in order to hear first-hand from civil society organizations working on the ground with the migration and refugee situation. The delegation will gather information in order to inform possible coping strategies for the influx of refugees and to establish a set of best practices and policies which can contribute to a seamless process of reception, relocation or integration of refugees.

"The refugee crisis in the EU has reached the point at which the founding principles of human rights protection are being called into question. This is not about numbers; this is about human lives, human dignity, human dreams and hope. Human rights are not only a matter of solidarity - it is also a duty and an obligation," said Irini Pari, Permanent Representative of the Greek Federation of Enterprises (SEV) in Brussels.

The EESC delegation, which includes Greek member Irini Pari, Cypriot member Nicolaos Epistithiou and Cristian Pirvulescu from Romania, is travelling to Mytilene, Moria, Eidomeni and Paionia. The discussions with NGOs, refugees, authorities and volunteers focused on the challenges faced by the various stakeholders.

Nicolaos Epistithiou, former secretary of Public and International Relations Σ.Ε.Κ., said: "The negative perceptions of migration and refugees held by a growing number of citizens can be limited through a broad and necessary effort to uphold core European values and the EU institutional achievements. In these exceptional situations, we need more Europe, more democracy and more solidarity."

The visit is part of a series of missions organized by the EESC to come to grips with the work carried out by civil society organizations dealing with migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the framework of its going local programme. The visits aim to identify problems, needs, as well as successes and best practices of the various organizations active in the current refugee crisis.

According to a recent EESC opinion on the European agenda on migration, where Honorary President of the Pro Democracy Association (APD) Cristian Pirvulescu was rapporteur: "The current refugee crisis, occurred because of the absence of a common asylum policy, the delay of which was due to the absence of concerted European political action. The EESC urges the EU to create a genuine asylum policy."

The missions' end goal will be to provide a well-founded and documented input to EU policy making, as follow-up to its opinion 'A European Agenda on Migration: Second implementation package'. Other missions will follow this first mission in 10 other EU Member States (Italy, Germany, Malta, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia) plus Turkey, either at the end of 2015 or the beginning of 2016.

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