Emmaus and European advocacy

Europe – a vital decision-making level for Emmaus’ work

European policy plays a pivotal role in the daily lives of each of us, directly influencing aspects such as labour rights, efforts to address precarity, health, production and environmental issues. For example, European law governs workers’ rights across Europe and migration policy, and directly affects our collection, sorting, reuse and recycling work, which are fundamental aspects of the Emmaus groups’ efforts.

Emmaus proposals for a Europe that regains hope

It is vital that the MEPs understand the urgent need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the most deprived people, go further on climate issues, and support the work of our groups. To this end, Emmaus Europe has drawn up a number of proposals for the EU 2024-2029 legislative mandate in order to create a Europe of renewed hope:

General proposals Detailed proposals

The Emmaus Europe team is at your disposal to help you set up specific actions on some of these proposals if you would like to do so.

Contact: manon.gaham@emmaus-europe.org & eve.poulteau@emmaus-europe.org

General information

Emmaus denounces

Emmaus International, Emmaus France and the Abbé Pierre Foundation are making public serious acts committed by Abbé Pierre.

The Emmaus Movement is making public acts of sexual assault and sexual harassment committed by Abbé Pierre between the late 1970s and 2005. These incidents affected employees and voluntary workers of some of our member organisations, along with young women that Abbé Pierre knew from his own personal circle. The Movement commissioned Groupe Egaé, a firm specialising in violence prevention, to listen to testimony and conduct analysis. This work made it possible to gather testimonies from seven women. One of them was a minor when the first incidents took place. According to the information gathered, several other women were subjected to similar incidents, but their testimonies have not been heard. A strictly confidential system to hear testimonies and provide support has been set up for victims or witnesses of unacceptable behaviour by Abbé Pierre.

A year ago, Emmaus France received a first-hand account from a woman who was subjected to sexual assault* by Abbé Pierre.
An Emmaus Movement delegation met the victim and heard her testimony.

Following this meeting, an internal investigation was launched by Emmaus International, Emmaus France and the Abbé Pierre Foundation to establish whether other similar incidents had occurred. This work was conducted by Caroline De Haas, of Groupe Egaé, who heard testimonies from seven women reporting behaviour that may amount to sexual assault or sexual harassment committed by Abbé Pierre between the late 1970s and 2005. One of them was a minor (16 or 17 years old) when the first incidents took place. According to Groupe Egaé, it is reasonable to consider that other people were affected, although it is difficult to estimate how many.

Our organisations commend the courage of the people who gave their testimony and, by speaking out, made it possible to bring these events to light. We believe them, we know that these intolerable acts have left their mark and we stand by them.

Investigation report Groupe Egaé

These revelations have shaken our organisations, where the figure of Abbé Pierre plays a major role. We all know his story and his message. These acts profoundly change the way we regard this man, who was known above all for his struggle against poverty, destitution and exclusion.

At a time when urgent social issues and the need to defend the most vulnerable people are particularly pressing, the day-to-day work carried out by all employees, companions and volunteers within the Emmaus Movement is vital. Solidarity, mutual assistance and unconditional welcome of the most disadvantaged are our raison d’être.

The Emmaus Movement combats all forms of violence and is intent on denouncing the unacceptable acts committed by a person who has played a major role in its history. We owe it to the victims. We also owe it to all those who, for over 70 years, have carried out the Movement’s work on a daily basis. We share their pain and anger, but also their resolve to continue working, every day, to build a fairer and more supportive world.

As of today, the Emmaus Movement has set up a strictly confidential system for gathering testimonies from people who were victims or witnesses of unacceptable behaviour by Abbé Pierre. This system is managed by Groupe Egaé and will offer people the opportunity to be heard, anonymously should they so wish, in addition to providing them with guidance and support.

* The law at the time classified this type of act as indecent assault.

Contact presse : mouvementemmaus@2017.fr

News

UK-Rwanda deal scrapped

Emmaus welcomes the decision, but warns about the proliferation of this type of agreement impacting the rights of migrants in Europe.

The new UK Prime Minister has scrapped the deal to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, following the Labour Party’s victory in the 4 July 2024 General Election. Emmaus is pleased about this decision, as it stops a dangerous agreement that would violate human rights from coming into force. However, the growing number of such agreements across Europe is concerning.

The UK Parliament adopted the Safety of Rwanda Bill on 23 April. Rishi Sunak’s government ignored the appeals made by civil society organisations, Lords and even UN experts, as well as circumventing the opinion expressed by the country’s Supreme Court (the court unanimously ruled that the Rwanda deal was “illegal” on 15 November 2023), in order to implement an agreement enabling the UK to deport to Rwanda people who arrived in the UK without authorisation. Emmaus is delighted that this plan has been axed.

However, we wish to sound the alarm about the rising number of agreements of this type. The Rwanda deal is in keeping with a dynamic similar to that which led to other agreements being adopted, such as the 6 November 2023 Italy-Albania deal. This deal allows Italy to outsource to Albania the processing of asylum applications submitted by some foreign nationals picked up or rescued at sea by the Italian authorities.

This trend is particularly worrying as 15 EU Member States[1] have asked the European Commission to adopt a similar mechanism in Europe. In a letter dated 15 May, these States went as far as suggesting a revision of the “safe third country” concept in order to further restrict migrants’ guaranteed rights. This adds to the legislative framework already applied by many Member States to prevent, whatever the cost, people from moving around and settling in their territory, demonstrating an increasing disregard for human rights.

The European Pact on Migration and Asylum adopted on 14 May is not an exception to this rule, as it openly seeks to speed up the removal of people in irregular situations and increase outsourcing of border control. Security and removal mechanisms, rather than actual reception and solidarity mechanisms, are increasingly holding sway in the Rwanda and Albania deals, and in the EU Pact. Motivated by short-term electioneering, the States are totally ignoring the lived experiences of migrants and their supporters, and are deploying policies that exclude, dehumanize, and make migrants vulnerable. Far from the advocated sharing of responsibility, successive legislative instruments are increasingly contravening international agreements and rights that the States have pledged to respect.

At a time when the European elections have led to a worrying rise of the far right, the current trend of isolationism combined with an increase in the number of authoritarian and conservative governments should be a serious warning.

The Emmaus Movement has member organisations in 43 countries, including 21 European and nine African countries, and brings to life the principles of solidarity, and shelter and support, on a daily basis. Depending on the local context, these principles may take the form of providing proper shelter and support for people who have migrated in search of a better life, as well as running social and income-generating activities involving the most socially-excluded people, enabling them to have decent living conditions, wherever they are. Emmaus champions freedom of movement and settlement for all, but also works on a daily basis to ensure that people have the prospect of a decent life wherever Emmaus is located.

These deals are in keeping with a continuum of agreements that push back Europe’s borders a little further, while viewing human lives as a bargaining chip. We refuse to stay silent in the face of these illegal agreements that threaten the integrity of migrants who are only asking for the freedom to move around, just like any human being.

Emmaus International and Emmaus Europe are calling for the following measures to be implemented:

Compliance with the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Convention.
Abolition of the policy of outsourcing border control.
A return to a proper visa policy.
Migrant detention to be scrapped.

We are calling for alternative global migration governance, based on respect for fundamental rights and the principle of universal citizenship!

[1] Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Romania.

Defending human rights / Migration News United Kingdom

Credit: Emmaus International.

Traceability: a strategic asset for Emmaus initiatives?

Increasingly in Europe, politicians are aiming to introduce a system of extended producer responsibility (EPR) to manage waste and promote reuse in different sectors, such as electronics, textiles and furniture. In practice, this means that manufacturers of new products will become financially responsible for managing the products at the end of their lifecycle. As a result, our Emmaus groups can get involved and benefit from funding or facilities for our work thanks to the traceability system.

To find out more, we met Elsa Delouche, Traceability and Reuse Officer at Emmaus France. Elsa supports groups towards establishing the traceability of donations.

Could you tell us what traceability is and what types of “products” it applies to?

Definitions are varied, but the one I use, on which there seems to be a consensus, is as follows: an organisation system and tools that allow us to obtain data on activities, an efficient process (simple, accessible and stable).

In certain sectors, the data is expected by eco-organisations*, and provides access to different opportunities (financial support, free return of waste, access to deposits). In France (and shortly in all EU countries), this will apply to furniture and furnishings, toys and games, DIY and garden equipment, household appliances, sports and leisure goods, along with textiles, bedding and footwear.

What is the purpose of traceability for Emmaus groups?

I see traceability as an opportunity for groups and the movement:

It encourages us to improve working conditions by questioning the tools used, workstation safety and ergonomics.
It allows people to diversify their tasks (for example, using weighing equipment).
It encourages people to develop their skills (e.g. mastering software).
It contributes to steering the business and decision-making by providing objective, reliable data.
It enables us to promote our activities in the field to external stakeholders and partners, and to ensure that they are aware of the volume of donations received and processed.
It confirms Emmaus’ position in the reuse sector through reliable, quantitative data, fuelling the advocacy work carried out by Emmaus France and Emmaus Europe.

How and why was traceability introduced in our groups? How do the groups use it and what work does it entail?

The Emmaus France Federation promotes the freedom of groups to decide whether to introduce traceability or not. Its mission is to raise awareness among groups so that they can make an informed choice (the benefits or otherwise that they could enjoy). Furthermore, it encourages each group to define its own method, it does not advocate a single method. As a result, a wide variety of practices can be observed today:

On the choice of sectors tracked: track all sectors or select a few (often depending on the effort/gain ratio).
Regarding the method chosen: weighing? Counting? By combining both depending on the sector?
In terms of tools: paper materials? Software? A combination of both?

Traceability does not necessarily entail additional work; it all depends on the method and tools chosen by the group. Similarly, it is not a question of creating new tasks or developing our traditional reuse activities. The aim is to find a system to collect data on the key stages of our activity, collecting it during the activity, and then finding the tools to make it easier to use the data.

What is the Spanish viewpoint?

First-hand account by Eduardo Sanchez, director of Emaús Gipuzkoa within the group Emaús Fundación Social

In our group, we have always believed that it was very important to be able to provide reliable data about what we do with the waste we manage. We see this as an obligation to the public and to the public and private entities that place their trust in us to collect and manage waste.There are an increasing number of obligations to ensure the traceability of the waste we manage. For calls for tender launched by public authorities for the collection of textiles this is compulsory, and current legislation is increasing the obligations of waste managers.

For the past four years, we have been processing environmental documents electronically with public authorities. Today, a waste treatment contract must be signed with the entity generating the waste in order to collect it with our lorries, and we must have an identification document in the collection vehicle.

In addition, in the case of hazardous waste, we have to prepare a consignment note for each type of waste to be transported (each code requires a different consignment note). This notification enables us to draw up the documents to be carried by the lorry transporting the hazardous waste.

The requirements of European regulations and the presence of SCRAP (Scrap metal) mean that this issue will be essential in meeting the needs of public administrations and community systems, as well as public demand for information.

* In France (under the “polluter pays” principle) this is the name given to organisations that are financed by manufacturers to take care of managing the end-of-life of the equipment they put on the market.

Circular economy / The environment European Union News

Traceability at Emmaus Défi (France). Credit: Emmaus Europe.