Editorial by Conny Reuter, SOLIDAR Secretary General

European values distorted by European Council

24 April 2015

The European Council’s emergency meeting yesterday decided on four key measures to be taken in response to the human tragedies in the Mediterranean Sea. The EU leaders have asked Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative, to propose action to capture and destroy the smugglers’ vessels before they can be used “in accordance with international law”. They called for efforts to combat smuggling networks in cooperation with Europol, and for the deployment of so called immigration officers to third countries.

The European Council also decided to triple the resources available to the EU border mission in the Central Mediterranean (the Triton operation) under the label „Strengthening our presence at sea”. The border mission will receive further support through the supply of additional vessels, aircrafts and experts by Member States.

The EU wants to limit the inflow and tackle the cause of irregular migration. Cooperation with the countries of origin and transit, especially the countries around Libya, should be reinforced and a new return programme created. The EU aims to offer more protection to refugees from conflict regions by setting up a voluntary pilot project on resettlement across the EU, offering places to persons qualifying for protection. And this is generously called “Reinforcing internal solidarity and responsibility”.

The decisions could not have been more disappointing for those who still believe that the EU is based on values. The only sensible element among these measures is border protection which is per se not to be contested, but it aims to calm the fear factor of public opinion. In reality this opinion is much more positive in most EU Member States than the hate speech of populists, racists and right wing politicians echoed in the media would lead us to believe. The root causes of migration will not be tackled, and the measures fail to address the primary and overriding goal of saving lives and undermining irregular migration by creating humanitarian corridors and legalising access.

The conclusions could easily be summed up by the old Roman slogan “Morituri te salutant” – those about to die salute you – the EU in this case. Is this still our EU? EP President Martin Schulz is right when he states that these policies turn the Mediterranean Sea into a graveyard and when he stresses ““We must fight the causes of migration, not the migrants”. We count on the European Parliament to make a strong statement in its plenary session next week in Strasburg and we will contribute to mobilising civil society to contest the measures. 23 April 2015 was a sad day for Humanists and those who still believe in the values that constituted the EU more than 50 years ago!

Together for Social Europe

SOLIDAR addresses the European Council: urgent actions needed to end tragedies in the Mediterranean!

22 April 2015

Following the latest tragic and unacceptable events in the Mediterranean sea, SOLIDAR with the full support of its network decided to write a letter to the Extraordinary European Council of 23 April to call upon the President, Donald Tusk and Heads of State and Government to immediately implement actions to end the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

In the last two years more than 5000 people have died in their attempt to reach European borders, including 1500 since the beginning of 2015 alone (UNHCR). Most of the people who attempt the dangerous journey come from war-torn Syria (36% of the arrivals in 2014 – IOM). These numbers clearly show the inadequacy of the current ‘Fortress Europe’ approach in protecting human lives and tackling the root causes of migration. This approach is unfortunately also reflected in the ten point action plan presented on 20 April by the Joint Foreign and Home Affairs Council.

Once again, we call for a paradigm shift based on the immediate implementation of the following measurers:

• Open humanitarian corridors for people fleeing conflicts and food insecurity and seeking international protection.
• An adequately financed joint EU search & rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Facilitate legal migration and access for refugees for example by delivering visas in EU Embassies for asylum seekers from countries with a high acceptation rate.
• Strengthen external actions aiming at putting an end to conflicts and promoting inclusive development, decent work and social protection and economic, social and cultural rights in the countries of origin and implement the Geneva Convention in the countries of transit.
• Improve responsibility-sharing mechanisms to support those Member States who are at the forefront and promote the integration efforts of those Member States for whom solidarity is more than just a buzz word.-* Make sure t hat Member States fully comply with the fundamental rights of migrants through providing access to healthcare and basic social services.

Read the full letter addressed to the Extraordinary European Council of 23 April, calling upon the President, Donald Tusk and Heads of State and Government here.

Building Learning Societies

SOLIDAR Foundation joins researchers in preventing early job insecurity and youth unemployment

20 April 2015

On 16-17 April, SOLIDAR Foundation participated in the kick-off meeting of the Horizon 2020 research project “NEGOTIATE: Overcoming the early-job insecurities” that is centred on the situation of young people in Europe and examines the long- and short-term consequences of experiencing job insecurity or labour market exclusion in the transition to adulthood. The project is led by NOVA Norwegian Social Research, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. The role of SOLIDAR Foundation is to work together with the researchers from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on project impact and dissemination, namely by working on influencing the political agenda to fight with youth unemployment in Europe. This will be achieved by actively involving national and European stakeholders, as well as young people themselves, and in this way the project will contribute to evidence-based and effective p olicies preventing the adverse effects of early job insecurity and youth unemployment.

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Organising International Solidarity

Social Protection Monitoring

21 April 2015

On Tuesday 21 April SOLIDAR launched its Social Protection Monitor, a tool developed by SOLIDAR members of the International Cooperation Committee, to allow partner organisations and allies to evaluate the priorities of the EU in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and EU development and cooperation programmes with selected countries.
The purpose of this tool is to see the extent to which the European Commission’s bilateral programmes include the promotion of social protection for all or any of the following benchmarks:
1. Improving equitable access to essential services
2. Ensuring Income security
3. Promoting a Rights Based Approach to Social Protection
4. Freedom of association
5. Financing Social Protection

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A Civil Society Guide for National Social Protection Floors: Get engaged

24 April 2015

In June 2012, all the Governments’ workers’ and employers’ organisations participating in the International Labor Organization Conference (ILC) agreed on the necessity to ensure that all residents have access to a minimum of income security and access to essential health care through the adoption of the Recommendation No. 202 on National Floors of Social Protection.

The global consensus that the Recommendation represents provides a great tool for civil society organisations and trade unions to advocate for more social justice, more participation and more opportunities for all through social protection.

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