Local authorities and associations united for a welcoming Europe

On 15 June we presented a manifesto drafted by around 100 associations and local authorities who fight on a daily basis for a dignified welcome for exiled persons to European commissioners and MEPs in Strasbourg.  

Whilst the Council of European Ministers has recently repealed (on 8 June) one of the key pieces of progress of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum proposed by the Parliament – to allow asylum seekers to choose a country where they speak the language or where they know people – we continue, amongst other things, to lobby for an end to the Dublin Protocol, a protocol which creates much misery and suffering. 

Following the shock of the disaster in the Mediterranean the day before, where at least 79 people died, it was encouraging to see that local elected representatives and departments continue to mobilise to defend the human rights of exiled persons via the French National Association of Welcoming Towns and Territories and via the Alliance of Safe Harbours in other European Countries.  

We encourage the Emmaus groups who have not yet done so to forge ties with any local members of these networks. 

We will be continuing with our work as part of European proposals and partnerships in the coming months. Emmaus International will also participate in identical mobilisations in the other regions of the globe as part of the Migration Alliance and the Organisation for Universal Citizenship.