Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “recognises that” and substitute the following: - “seeking asylum is a fundamental right under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

- every person’s right to seek asylum in a safe country is enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

notes with sympathy and concern:

- the recent tragic and avoidable loss of life in the Mediterranean;

- too many people have lost their lives attempting to reach the European Union, often aided by criminal traffickers and smugglers;

further notes that:

- migration is a European challenge that requires a European response, which should include comprehensive policies in relation to both the internal and external dimensions of migration, with full and due respect for fundamental rights under European Union and International law;

- over the past decade the European Union has sought to break the business model of traffickers and smugglers to prevent people making perilous journeys to reach the European Union;

- the most recent Strategic Review of Operation IRINI concluded that the Operation should continue contributing to the detection and monitoring of human smuggling and trafficking networks within its Area of Operation;

- further progress is needed to address the root causes of irregular migration in order to deter people from undertaking perilous journeys to reach the European Union, to prevent loss of life and to reduce pressure on reception capacities across Member States of the European Union;

- a whole of Government approach is needed within both European Union Member States and European Union institutions to effectively address the challenges posed by irregular migration;

- Ireland stands firm in our commitment to respecting and upholding the fundamental rights of those in need of international protection, in full compliance with our obligations under domestic, European Union and International law;

- Ireland recognises the obligation on Member States to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedom of all migrants, regardless of their migration status;

- Ireland emphasises the importance of a gender-responsive approach by States to migration that contributes to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all migrant women and girls, who face particular vulnerabilities;

and calls on the Government to:

- continue to work with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to migration policy, which includes increased action in the external dimension alongside a more harmonised approach to internal aspects, in full compliance with European Union principles and values, European Union and international law and with due respect for fundamental rights;

- contribute to the development and implementation of European Union Action Plan for priority third countries across all migratory routes to effectively address the root causes of migration;

- continue to engage with European Union Member States and European Union institutions to ensure coordinated engagement with countries of origin and transit with a view to developing mutually beneficial partnerships to promote safe, regular and orderly migration;

- continue to co-sponsor resolutions on the human rights of migrants at the UN Human Rights Council and Third Committee of the UN General Assembly;

- continue to support the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and regularly engage with the Special Rapporteur in the context of the UN Human Rights Council – including during the current session, ongoing in Geneva - continue to cooperate with international organisations, most notably the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR;

- contribute to the development of greater situational awareness of migratory flows and trends both into and within the European Union, as well as reception capacities in Member States;

- work with European Union Member States and European Union institutions to finalise negotiations on the Pact on Migration and Asylum as soon as possible to ensure much needed reforms to the Common European Asylum Systems can be introduced without delay.”

I thank the Minister of State for being here. Before I talk about the text of the motion I might say a few words about migration in general. I acknowledge Senator Gavan's work in the Council of Europe Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. We all know that migration is not new because we are familiar with the history and literature of travels all around the world by people leaving their countries for different reasons. We have to acknowledge that as wars are fought, sea levels rise and climate change happens, people are going to move, as they have done through the centuries. It is sadly a fact that migration into and around Europe in the last decade or so has met negativity, fear, resentment and, in many situations, false or fake news. There is much we need to do in this area. The positive integration of migrants and refugees in our countries is paramount to minimise the fear and resentment that is out there. There are many studies that show that host countries benefit from the successful integration of migrants and refugees. To achieve this, there needs to be a fair and balanced distribution of the migrant population across Europe and host countries to avoid ghettoisation. Many things need to be put in place such as interpretation, language and citizenship training and targeted assistance with housing, health and education.Above all, it is important that communications on migrants and refugees coming to our country or indeed other countries need to be fair, factual and timely. We have not always seen that.

Every country’s recognition of skills obtained abroad is of fundamental importance. I know everyone here has met many people, as I certainly have, with desired skills that we need in this country but unfortunately, those skills are not recognised. These refugees, migrants and immigrants find it difficult get a job, let alone one they are actually qualified for and one that we need. All front-line staff need intercultural training to be able to give the best possible experience to our refugees and immigrants.

On today’s debate, I proposed and support the Government’s countermotion. I acknowledge that on 8 June, the Justice and Home Affairs Council agreed the general approach for the asylum and migration regulation and the asylum procedure regulation. These are two key measures that aim to create a fairer, more efficient and more sustainable migration and asylum system across the EU member states. The Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, led the Irish delegation during the council negotiations and I acknowledge and appreciate that. The negotiations between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament are set to begin soon with the hope that new measures will be agreed next year.

We cannot but speak about - as I just listened to Senator Black do so - the recent boat disaster in which hundreds of people tragically lost their lives. Sadly, we do not know the number. We hear it could be anything up to 500 people. There may have been between 400 and 750 people on the boat and not one life jacket among them, which is absolutely shocking. From what I understand, 82 people were confirmed dead. However, that is a very conservative figure. We have to be absolutely traumatised by hearing of such deaths in such numbers on the shores of Europe. Many of those missing are thought to be women and children who were held below the deck. Most of the people were from Pakistan, some from Kashmir. Every time we hear of something such as this, there is an outpouring of grief and yet we absolutely do not do enough in relation to it. It is beyond time that all of the countries of Europe agreed a humane and proper way to do deal with people who are running and fleeing from persecution. It was appalling to see the legislation going through Westminster recently with regard to banning the boats and not looking the real reasons people are leaving in boats and putting their lives at risk. There is no simple answer but we all have to do more.