PLANS to make immigrants’ children as young as 12 sit ‘integration tests’ before being reunitied with their parents breach international human rights law, Euro-MPs have ruled.
The European Parliament is to challenge the policy at the European Court of
Justice in Luxembourg after members of the parliament’s legal affairs committee
unanimously adopted Green criticisms of the policy, which is contained in the
EU Directive on Family Re-unification.
London Green MEP Jean Lambert said: “This directive is designed to make it easier for children to be re-united with their parents – but thanks to Blunkett and his EU counterparts it will have the opposite effect, in clear breach of the European Convention of Human Rights and the UK Human Rights Act.
“An integration test for twelve year olds is inconceivable – how much can a child who has grown up in a Turkish village know about European society? And how many mistakes will they be allowed when forced to sing Jingle Bells? Does a child not have the right to be re-united with his or her parents simply by virtue of being their child?"
Following the legal affairs committee’s decision, European Parliament President Pat Cox has been asked to formally lodge the case at the Luxembourg court.
Mrs Lambert, who is a member of the parliament’s civil liberties committee and an outspoken human rights campaigner, added:
“The court must ensure EU member states are not permitted to keep families apart in breach of their human rights.
"Human rights guarantees are non-negotiable, and European law must place human rights at its centre.”
ENDS
For more information please contact Ben Duncan on 020 7407 6280, 07973
823358 or at press@greenmeps.org.uk