European Commission: Give refugees a second chance in life

We are in the midst of the biggest global refugee crisis since the Second World War. Every day, new dramas are reported by newspaper headlines.


Refugees are simply people in search of a safe and sustainable future. They have left their lives and families behind, because they had no other choice.

After countless sufferings and often months of fleeing in horrific conditions, they face rejection and indifference when finally arriving in Europe.

Today, 86% of the world’s refugees are staying in developing countries, and wealthier countries are not doing their share. It is time for Europe to show that compassion and solidarity are also part of our values.

For this reason, we ask the EU and its individual member States to respect the United Nations Refugee Convention and to ensure that refugees can enjoy international protection:

• Allowing them to enter their territories;
  
• Making safe and legal routes available for asylum-seekers;
• Providing assistance to those in distress at sea;
  
• Providing immediate protection and medical assistance for the refugees arriving at Europe’s borders;
  
• Relaxing visa restrictions for people coming
  from war zones;
• Providing sufficient and decent emergency accommodations;
  
• Providing refugees with suitable tools for a new start;
  
• Facilitating family reunification;
  
• Sharing the responsibility for refugees more fairly among European countries, and helping countries of
  arrival such as Greece and Italy;
• Tackling xenophobia.
  
  

Thank you!