Sarah speaking about the European Common Asylum System

Speech by Sarah Ludford (on behalf of the ALDE group) delivered to European Parliament on Mon 9th Mar 2009

Madam President, I support the report of the rapporteur and the work of the Commission. There is no excuse for the poor state of refugee management in the EU, since the numbers of asylum applications are low by historical standards. Lack of common practice, different sources of country-of-origin information and failure to implement EU laws properly means there is an uneven playing field. This is causing shopping-around by applicants and pass-the-parcel by states.

Another element creating unequal access to protection is that some Member States are just deporting people before they can be assessed and even, in effect, bribing third countries to stop them coming.

Many arriving in mixed flows may well be economic migrants, which does not make them criminals. However, even if only a few are refugees, they must be identified. As Mr Catania says, protection in human rights concerns must be integrated into border management, particularly in the mandate of Frontex. People should not be detained just because they apply for asylum.

Besides the single common procedure and content of protection, there needs to be practical cooperation, support and solidarity, including through the important European Asylum Support Office, providing common sources of country information. Better quality and more accurate first decisions would save money through fewer costly appeals.

Obliging EU states to allow asylum seekers to work after six months, if their claim is not decided, is very important: they would retain dignity and also pay tax. I am very disappointed the UK has decided to opt out from an improved Reception Conditions Directive as that would bar automatic detention solely on the grounds of submission of an asylum claim, cut across UK fast-track detention and enforce the right to work after six months. It is pretty shameful, in my view, that my own country regards these conditions as too onerous.