By UME
While several European Union member states have already closed their borders to illegal migrants or are in the process of doing so, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday saying that hosting migrants from Afghanistan is a “moral responsibility.”
On Thursday afternoon, the European Parliament adopted by a large majority (536 votes in favour, 96 against and 50 abstentions) a resolution on Afghanistan containing the following statement:
“Afghans have a fundamental right to seek asylum in other countries, so coordinated evacuation measures must continue as soon as possible. In the EP’s view, deportations to Afghanistan must be suspended.”
According to the Panel’s resolution, the majority of Afghan asylum seekers are expected to seek international protection in neighbouring countries, so the EU must also support Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries. However, the financial, logistical and capacity-building support of eu members to the states concerned cannot be an alternative to the Union’s unilateral refugee policy.
The European Parliament therefore calls on Member States to swiftly adopt the migration pact announced by the European Commission a year ago, which could bring millions more migrants to Europe. The migration pact has not yet received sufficient support in the relevant Council of Ministers, as it is seen by several Member States – including Hungary – as a backdoor for the introduction of mandatory admission quotas.
With regard to the migration dimension of the crisis, the European Parliament’s document also states that “the European Commission and the Member States must promote a humane asylum policy: the EU has a moral obligation to receive and integrate; the international community’s (voluntary) resettlement forum in September is to be welcomed; Member States should also re-examine pending, recently processed and rejected applications in the light of recent events”.
Among Hungarian MEPs, MEPs from the ruling conservative Fidesz voted against the decision, while representatives of Momentum and MSZP abstained. DK politicians did not take part in the vote.
Before the vote, Kinga Gál, leader of Fidesz in the European Parliament, told Magyar Nemzet that the European Parliament was preparing to adopt a document to promote migration.
“As in 2015, the voices in the European Parliament in favour of migration are still significant. They also seem to be getting stronger,” she said, adding: “The worst-case scenario is that Europe now irresponsibly sends invitations to millions of people and wants to distribute them.”
On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen also spoke out in her usual State of the Union address that Europe should open its doors to Afghans.
Source: Magyar Nemzet