Role of the European Parliament

• Author: Eisele, Katharina
• Pages: 12-12

EPRS | European Parli amentary Re search Servic e

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2. Role of the European Parliament

The Europea n Parliament has expressed its views on the need for a holis tic EU a pp roac h t o mig ration

and on return policies for irregular migrants. It has been vocal about protecting the rights of all

migrants, providing safe and legal access to the EU asylum system, and return policies which involve

sending migrants back to countries where they can be received safely and without being

endangered.

In Ap ril 2015, the E urop ean Parlia ment exp re ssed its deep regret at the recurring tr agic loss o f lives

in the Mediterra nean and ur ge d the EU and the Member States to build on existing cooperation and

do ev erything poss ible to preven t further loss of life a t sea. It further called for the EU and the

Member Stat es to provide the n ecessary reso urces to ens ure that sea rch and rescue obligations

were effectively fulfilled and therefor e properly funded. In it s r esolu tion, the Eu rope an Par liament

also st ressed th e need to encourage voluntary return policies, while guaranteeing the pr otection of

rights fo r all migrants and ensuring safe and lega l access to the EU a sylum system, with due respect

for t he pr inciple o f non-refoulement.73

The Eu ropean Parliament has repeatedly called for retur n policies that in volve se nding mig rants

back to countries where they can be received s afely and without being exposed to danger , as

expressed in its r esolu tion o f 25 Octobe r 2016, on human rights and migration in third countries.74

In Apr il 2016, the European Parliament called for a holistic EU approach to migration to tackle the

situation in the Mediterranean Sea. It pointed out that the return of migrants should only be carried

out safely, in full compliance with the fundamental and procedural rights of the migrants in

question , and where the country to which they are being returned is safe for them. It also reiterated,

in that regard, that voluntary return should be prioritised over forced returns.75

In 2018, the Eur opean Parliament requested that the Euro pean Commission table a legis lative

proposal establishing a European Humanitarian Visa, giving access to Eur opea n terr itory –

exclusively to the Member State iss uing the visa – for the sole purpose of subm itting a n application

for in ternational protection.76 It emphasised that Member States should be able to issue

humanitarian visas at embassies and consulates abroad, so that people seeking protection can

access Eur opea n te rrit ory without r isking t heir lives .

73 European Parliament resolution of 29 April 2015 on the latest tragedies in the Mediterranean and EU migration and

asylum po lic ies ( 2015/2660(RSP)).

74 European Parliament resolution of 25 October 2016 on human rights and migr ation in thir d countries

(2015/2316(INI)).

75 European Parliament resolution of 12 April 2016 on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a hol istic EU

approach to migr ati on (2015/2095(INI)), para. 6 0.

76 European Parliament resolution of 11 December 2018 with recommendati ons to t he Commission on Humanitarian

Visas (2018/2271(INL)); see Van Balle gooij , W., with Navarra, C., Humanit ari an Visas: Europe an Adde d Value

Assessment accompanying the European Parli ament's l egislat ive own -initiative report, EPRS, Eur opean Parliame nt,

2018.