20 June 2019

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, has worked hard to reform the EU’s broken asylum system over the past 20 years. On World Refugee Day, Jean hosted a Q&A with three incoming Green MEPs who are committed to continuing this fight and improving EU asylum policy over the coming five years: Erik Marquardt, Damien Careme and Alice Bah Kuhnke.

Erik is a German photojournalist who has spent time traveling along the refugee route from Afghanistan to Europe. He has also worked with the incredible Sea Watch search and rescue team, helping to save thousands from drowning in the Mediterranean.

Damien has been the Mayor of Grand-Synthe in Northern France since 2001. The area, which is near Dunkirk, received thousands of refugees in 2015/16. Without any funding from the French Government, Damien worked with the NGO Doctors Without Borders to build a relatively safe and clean humanitarian camp for refugees in the area.

Meanwhile, Alice served as the Swedish Minister for Culture and Democracy until January this year, working on issues including refugee integration, and combating racism and hate crimes.

The panel discussed some big questions: Why is it so difficult to secure progressive changes to EU asylum policy? Why do people continue to risk their lives to reach the EU? How can we stop the trend towards criminalising humanitarian aid workers in the coming years? And how can we ensure that integration programmes work for Member States, as well as refugees?

Watch the full 15 minute discussion above, or on YouTube here.

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Last week, the Home Secretary declared the attempts by desperate refugees to cross the English Channel a ‘major incident’, posing the question: “If you are a genuine asylum seeker why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in?” [1]

Jean Lambert, London’s Green Party MEP, has written an open letter to Sajid Javid to provide some clear answers to this question, and urge him to open more safe, legal pathways for refugees to claim sanctuary in the UK.

Ms Lambert writes: “As Brexit threatens to tear this country apart at the seams, the arrival of a few hundred asylum seekers in Dover does not constitute a ‘major incident’ for the UK. It is, however, a ‘major incident’ for the people who have risked their lives to reach our shores. It’s time that UK policy reflected that.” ​

​Read the letter from Jean Lambert MEP in full below, or in PDF format here.

You can also read the open letter on Metro.co.uk here.

Dear Home Secretary,

Last week, you asked: “If you are a genuine asylum seeker why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in?”
​
As an MEP who has worked on asylum issues for almost 20 years, I can offer an insight into why people are prepared to risk their lives, crossing the Channel in a leaky rubber dinghy, to reach the UK.

Why are refugees coming to the UK?

Some asylum seekers have family members or close friends here in the UK, and are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to be reunited. Many speak English, and hope that their language skills will help them integrate into their new home, find work, and contribute to society.

Others have received an extremely hostile welcome in Europe – whether left to languish in a squalid camp in Greece without adequate medical care, or forced to squat in a disused building in Italy. In northern France, just 21 miles from UK shores, refugees are exposed to regular police violence and brutality – their tents seized, their bones broken, and their faces sprayed with teargas.

While these countries may be considered ‘safe’ for lucky individuals such as you or I, they are not always safe places for people who are forced to flee their homes and arrive in Europe via irregular routes.

The UK has consistently sought to project an image of itself as a place where human rights will be upheld and defended. You, as Home Secretary, have a moral duty to ensure this is the case.

How should the Home Office respond?

Firstly, the response to this incident must be proportionate. While some 312 refugees arrived on the coast of Kent in small boats in 2018, a total of 116,295 arrived by sea to Italy, Greece, Spain and Cyprus. Tragically, more than 2,000 didn’t make it – reported dead or missing. These stark figures make it clear there is no ‘refugee crisis’ in the UK, and Home Office rhetoric must reflect this.

Secondly, if the Home Office truly prioritises the safety of people making these dangerous journeys, it should take full advantage of its resettlement schemes – currently the only safe, legal routes to claim asylum here in the UK.

It is extremely alarming that only 20 unaccompanied children have been resettled in the UK over the past two years under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme, which allows for the transfer of 3,000 vulnerable young people from conflict zones. Meanwhile the Dubs scheme sits collecting dust, having transferred just 220 of its target 480 children to safe homes here in the UK.

The UK can and should do better than this, as evidenced by the resounding success of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, which has found new homes for more than 11,000 people displaced by the conflict in Syria.

Additionally, the UK could show solidarity with the EU Member States who are under particular pressure, such as Greece, Italy and Spain. There is no requirement under the Dublin III Regulation to return people to the first ‘safe’ country they arrived in – a Member State can say it will deal with the claim of asylum seekers who have moved on, rather than return them. The UK could also have offered to participate in the EU’s relocation proposals, which would have helped reduce the waiting time for a decision on an individual’s asylum application, rather than forcing them to put their lives on hold in refugee camps.

Finally, the Home Office needs to think innovatively in order to prevent vulnerable people dying at sea. For example, it could introduce a humanitarian visa system – as the European Parliament voted to establish last month – which would allow asylum seekers to apply for visas at embassies and consulates, rather than embarking on treacherous journeys in rickety boats.

I enclose two of the Greens/EFA’s recent publications on these issues:

1) ‘The Green Alternative to the Dublin System’ (which has helped inform the European Parliament’s proposals for a revised Dublin system)

2) ‘The EU-Turkey Statement and the Greek Hotspots’ (which explains why some asylum seekers feel they cannot stay in their first country of arrival, ands set out our proposals for a new, humane EU asylum policy).

As Brexit threatens to tear this country apart at the seams, the arrival of a few hundred asylum seekers in Dover does not constitute a ‘major incident’ for the UK. It is, however, a ‘major incident’ for the people who have risked their lives to reach our shores. It’s time that UK policy reflected that.

Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert MEP

Notes:

[1]  https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/02/people-crossing-channel-not-genuine-asylum-seekers-javid

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Two humanitarian workers, Sean Binder and Sarah Mardini, have been detained in Lesvos since 21 August 2018 on human trafficking charges. When arrested, both were volunteering with Emergency Centre Response International (ERCI), a Greek NGO that runs a search and rescue programme in the waters around the island.

A group of 37 cross-party MEPs, including Jean Lambert, have written an open letter stressing that humanitarian workers should never be treated as criminals. They call on the Greek authorities to take any appropriate action in order to free Sean and Sarah until their trial.

Read the full letter and list of signatories below, or click here for a PDF version.

On 21st August 2018, Greek Police arrested humanitarian workers Mr Séan
Binder and Ms Sarah Mardini on several charges, including that of human
trafficking. They were subsequently taken into Mytilene police station,
questioned, and detained on orders by the Magistrate of Mytilene and remain in
detention since then.

When arrested, both Séan and Sarah were volunteering with Emergency
Response Centre International (ERCI), a Greek non-profit humanitarian
organisation that runs a search and rescue programme in Lesvos, as well as a
medical clinic offering primary care in the Moria refugee camp. The organisation
was well known, was cooperating with the relevant Greek Authorities and had
their authorisation, both on the search and rescue operations as well as inside the
Moria refugee camp.

We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament, wish not to interfere
in the substance of the judicial proceedings and we have absolute confidence in
integrity and impartiality of the Greek judicial system, as proven with the recent
case of the Spanish coastguards.

However, we strongly believe that humanitarian workers do not pose a threat to
society and should not be treated as criminals. We join our voices to those of their
families, of the Universities where Sarah and Séan are studying, of other
humanitarian NGOs and organisations and of all the people around Europe who
appreciate the efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need or in
distress at sea.

We call, therefore, for any appropriate action to be taken by the relevant Greek
Authorities in order to free Séan and Sarah until their trial. To this end, we would
urge the relevant authorities of the UNHCR in Greece to contribute by providing
to the Greek Justice all the necessary elements for them to properly conduct their
work.

Guy Verhofstadt (Chair of the ALDE group)
Ska Keller (Co-Chair of the GREENS/EFA group)
Gabi Zimmer (Chair of the GUE/NGL group)
Claude Moraes (Chair of the LIBE Committee)
Birgit Sippel (Coordinator for the S&D group in LIBE Committee)
Cornelia Ernst (Coordinator for the GUE/NGL group in LIBE Committee)
Martina Anderson (GUE/NGL)
Malin Björk (GUE/NGL)
Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL)
Klaus Buchner (GREENS/EFA)
Matt Carthy (GUE/NGL)
Tanja Fajon (Vice-Chair of the S&D group)
Ana Gomes (S&D)
Sophie In’t Veld (Vice-Chair of the ALDE group)
Barbara Lochbihler (GREENS/EFA)
Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D)
Sabine Lösing (GUE/NGL)
Martina Michels (GUE/NGL)
Stelios Kouloglou (GUE/NGL)
Merja Kyllönen (GUE/NGL)
Liadh NiRiada (GUE/NGL)
Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, EP Vice President)
Morten Helveg Petersen (ALDE)
Maria Heubuch (GREENS/EFA)
Christine Revault d’Allonnes-Bonnefoy (S&D)
Jens Rohde (ALDE)
Martin Schirdewan (GUE/NGL)
Elly Schlein (S&D)
Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL)
Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL)
Barbara Spinelli (GUE/NGL)
Bart Staes (GREENS/EFA)
Miguel Urban Crespo (GUE/NGL)
Ernest Urtasun (GREENS/EFA)
Marie-Christine Vergiat (GUE/NGL)
Julie Ward (S&D)

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(UK Green MEPs recorded a video statement in support of the motion. Watch it on YouTube here.)

5 July 2018

MEPs voted in favour of a Green initiative on Thursday calling on EU governments to stop criminalising humanitarian assistance for desperate refugees. The vote comes in the wake of increasing instances of criminalising those who provide aid and support to migrants and refugees. In Malta this week the government has detained a humanitarian vessel that rescues boat migrants off the coast of Libya, where two shipwrecks have claimed the lives of as many as 200 people in recent days [1].

The UK’s three Green MEPs welcomed the vote in the European Parliament. Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London and the Party’s Migration Spokesperson said:

“Malta is just the latest example of EU governments putting their own domestic political agendas above saving lives. That’s why I am delighted that the European Parliament has sent out a strong message calling on the European Commission and EU Member States to stop criminalising those who provide humanitarian assistance to people in desperate and life-threatening situations. We can, and must, do better.”

One crew member on the Sea Watcher 3 rescue boat ‘held against its will’ in Malta is a Brighton resident. Keith Taylor, the Green Party MEP for the South East, added:

“This is an important victory that sends a strong message: these people have put their lives on the line to save others, they are heroes, not criminals.”

“It’s also a vote that should prick the conscience of the British government, whose response to the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean has been poor, at best.”

“We take very few refugees, especially compared to many countries that are far less well-resourced. The least the UK can do is show some moral leadership by ending its opposition to search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and backing this important resolution to end the criminalisation of humanitarian assistance.”

Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP for the South West, said:

“We must not forget the worrying political agenda underpinning this cruelty. There are actually far fewer refugees trying to get to Europe than in previous years, but unscrupulous far-right politicians are exploiting the prominence of this issue for their own benefit. They are using refugees and migrants as pawns in fermenting hatred and stoking up racism. We must do all we can to resist the creeping nationalism that is taking place across Europe.”

Notes:

[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-malta-ngo/malta-detains-second-charity-ship-as-death-toll-at-sea-rises-idUSKBN1JS19S

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEV5PgzwBOM&feature=youtu.be

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A Green MEP has criticised the European Council’s failure to agree on a “robust, fair and humane” EU migration policy. [1]

The deal, agreed by Member States this week, not only raises serious concerns over the human rights of asylum seekers, but could embolden the far-right in Europe.

Member States have also failed to reach agreement on reform of the Dublin Regulation, the rules governing which country is responsible for processing an asylum claim.

Jean Lambert is London’s Green MEP and the Greens/EFA group’s shadow rapporteur on reform of the Dublin Regulation. Jean is also the Green Party’s migration spokesperson.

Jean Lambert MEP said:

“This morning, we awoke to the news that another 100 migrants are feared dead after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya; yet more bodies in the Mediterranean. [2]

This is the price we pay when Member States can’t agree on a robust, fair and humane way to treat people seeking asylum on EU shores.

The conclusions of the EU Council will do little to stop this humanitarian crisis. It’s deeply disappointing that – yet again – EU Heads of State were unable to put their own interests aside, and forge a solution based on true solidarity. We are still looking to voluntary cooperation from governments as others refuse to step up and still fail to even offer planned resettlement places.

As a result, we can now expect to see vulnerable people being detained in ill-defined “controlled centres” and “regional disembarkation platforms”, raising serious human rights concerns.

We can expect responsibility for the situation being palmed off onto countries such as Libya and Morocco, where criminal gangs will inevitably find new avenues for exploitation.

Meanwhile, development funds will be diverted into strengthening regimes with poor human rights records, encouraging them to clampdown on those fleeing persecution and poverty. Like bolstering the flawed EU-Turkey deal, this undermines our core EU values and risks compromising our foreign policy options.

The truth of the matter is that the number of people seeking refuge in Europe has dropped significantly since 2015. Pandering to the Council’s far-right elements simply emboldens their domestic agendas. This is a dangerous road – not only for refugees but for the future of the European Union.”

Notes:

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/29/eu-summit-migration-deal-key-points

[2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-libya/libyan-coastguard-says-100-migrants-may-have-drowned-near-tripoli-idUSKBN1JP1AI

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To wrap up Refugee Week 2018, Jean Lambert MEP has written a blog post on the three small actions that the Home Secretary could take now to immeasurably improve life for thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This follows Jean’s letter to the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, earlier this week.

Read the full article below, or on Politics.co.uk.

Outrage at Trump is fine, but May’s Hostile Environment needs action too

Refugee week is supposed to be an opportunity to celebrate the immense contribution made by refugees and asylum seekers to our communities and remind ourselves why people need to seek sanctuary. Clearly, President Trump didn’t get the memo. He chose to spend the first half of the week doubling-down on his policy of tearing children from the arms of their asylum-seeking parents and locking them in wire cages. The goal, he claimed, was to stop them “infesting” America. This is the stuff of historical documentaries and dystopian novels. It’s barbaric and indefensible.

Here in the UK, the government employs a rather different tactic to deter people from seeking asylum on our shores. They expose them to Theresa May’s Hostile Environment, which aims to make life so unpleasant that they leave voluntarily. While not as bombastic as Trump’s approach, these policies also have devastating results.

Last weekend, I was appalled to learn that three teenage asylum seekers from Eritrea have taken their own lives in the UK in the past six months. It’s reported they despaired at the seemingly endless wait for their asylum applications to be processed by the Home Office and the lack of support received.

These cases highlight just how badly the Home Office is letting down the vulnerable people who seek asylum in the UK. We can, and must, do better.

The theme for this refugee week was ‘simple acts’. I’m asking the new home secretary, Sajid Javid, to commit to making three simple policy changes that would help people feel supported as they rebuild their lives, and hopefully prevent such terrible tragedies in future

1. Access to healthcare

Firstly, the government urgently needs to scrap its policies that block undocumented migrants from accessing free NHS healthcare.

Under the current system, it is difficult for health professionals to accurately identify who is chargeable and who is exempt. Although refugees and most asylum seekers do not have to pay for NHS treatment, they are regularly denied healthcare or charged sky-high fees. Those who are most adversely affected are often the most vulnerable – people with little understanding of their rights, who require a translator or cannot access legal assistance.

This policy was ostensibly designed to tackle ‘health tourism’, which is thought to cost the NHS no more than £300m each year. It puts thousands of lives at risk and our medical professionals in an extremely difficult position, as well as potentially having disastrous consequences for public health. The only way to clear up the confusion around this issue, and protect the health of refugees and asylum seekers, is to ditch it.

2. Access to the labour market

Secondly, asylum seekers must have permission to work in the UK while their claim is being processed. The current policy which forces these individuals to live on benefits of just £37.75 per week – one third of the income of the poorest ten per cent of British households – is cruel and inhumane. Not only is it deeply damaging to people’s mental health, but it increases their vulnerability to exploitation through working illegally or by criminal gangs.

Scrapping this outdated policy also makes sense from an economic perspective. A study from Warwick University found that if just 25% of asylum seekers were employed, the government could save £70m a year in asylum support costs.

As we approach Brexit, official government figures show that skilled EU nationals are migrating from the UK in their droves, leaving many industries with a growing skills gap. Whether they are relatively unskilled or highly specialised, asylum seekers are ready and waiting to step in and fill these vacancies.

3. Access to English lessons

Finally, refugees must be provided with the help they need to learn English. Since 2009, funding for government-funded English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) lessons has been slashed by 55%. Many colleges and organisations that provide these classes have commented that quality is diminishing, while waiting lists have grown. In some parts of the country, it can take up to three years for refugees to win a place in the classroom.

The government should heed Refugee Action’s call for it to provide every refugee in the UK with a minimum of eight hours of Esol lessons per week. This would help people feel at home and make friends, as well as preparing them to enter the labour market and engage with their new communities.

In summary, these three simple – and entirely achievable – acts would transform life in the UK for thousands of refugees and asylum seekers. They would also benefit the UK as a whole – both culturally and economically.

Javid has said that he wants to “put his own stamp” on Home Office policy. Well, here’s his chance – an opportunity to both roll back the Hostile Environment and highlight how the inhumane, brutal tactics currently being employed by far-right leaders worldwide have no place in modern asylum policies.

Jean Lambert is a Green MEP for London.

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This Refugee Day, Jean Lambert MEP is urging the Home Secretary to commit to three simple, achievable acts which would improve the lives of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP and the Green Party’ migration spokesperson, has written to Sajid Javid calling on him to ensure that:

1. All refugees and asylum seekers have unhindered access to free NHS healthcare

2. All asylum seekers have access to the labour market

3. All refugees have access to English lessons

Jean explains:

“On the eve of Refugee Week 2018, I was devastated to learn that at least three teenage asylum seekers in the UK have taken their own lives in the past six months. [1] These cases highlight just how badly the Home Office is letting down the vulnerable people who choose to seek asylum on our shores. We can, and must, do better.

The theme for this Refugee Week is ‘Simple Acts’. [2] I’m asking Sajid Javid to complete three simple – and entirely achievable – actions that would help people to feel supported as they rebuild their lives, and hopefully prevent such terrible tragedies in future.

The Home Secretary said he wants to put his own stamp on the Home Office. [3] Well, here’s his chance to do things a little differently, while making an immeasurable difference to thousands of lives.”

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In a new resolution, adopted today, cross-party MEPs have called on the international community to step up its humanitarian efforts in Cox’s Bazar, as the monsoon rains begin to claim Rohingya lives. [1]

The far-reaching resolution also sends a stark warning to the authorities in Myanmar to stop their campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP and Chair of the Parliament’s South Asia delegation, responded:

“The crisis faced by the Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar is a humanitarian tragedy, and one of the most alarming refugee situations I have witnessed in my years as an MEP.

Having already experienced ethnic cleansing in Myanmar, one million refugees trapped on Bangladesh’s border – including 720,000 children – now face deathly monsoon rains.

This week has provided a glimpse of the horrors to come, with at least three lives being lost to torrential rain and mudslides. Thousands more people have been injured or seen their homes destroyed – again. [2]

During my visits to Bangladesh I’ve visited this makeshift bamboo and tarpaulin city, largely built on the soft soil of the hillsides. As the rains come, many of these shelters will be washed away, alongside latrines, clean water and medical supplies.

The Bangladeshi Government is doing what it can but, with 200,000 people at immediate risk of flooding, the sheer scale of this crisis is overwhelming. [3] The UN’s appeal to raise $951 million to meet the community’s needs this year has stalled at just 20% of its total goal. [4] And even if it’s possible to help one fifth of the refugees in immediate danger, 160,000 more lives remain on the brink.

The international community cannot shut its eyes to the ethnic cleansing and continued suffering of the Rohingya people. That’s why today’s resolution is so important. The European Parliament is urging the Commission and Member States to take action – to ramp up their humanitarian efforts, and demand Myanmar allow the safe, voluntary and dignified return of the Rohingya to their homes.

This vulnerable group has already been failed once. The international community must not fail them again.”

Notes:

[1] http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2f%2fEP%2f%2fTEXT%2bMOTION%2bP8-RC-2018-0292%2b0%2bDOC%2bXML%2bV0%2f%2fEN&language=EN

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/13/three-rohingya-refugees-killed-as-monsoon-rains-hit-coxs-bazar

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/27/rohingya-refugees-cyclone-monsoon-season-bangladesh-myanmar

[4] http://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/briefing/2018/6/5b1f88f94/first-monsoons-sweep-bangladesh-refugee-settlements-amid-ongoing-emergency.html

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Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of EU Home Affairs ministers, the Greens/EFA group is calling for progress on reforms to the Dublin system, which determines which Member State is responsible for an asylum claim.

The European Parliament agreed its position back in October but there has been no progress at Council level [1]. Jean Lambert MEP is the Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur. She comments:

“The recent deaths on the Mediterranean must shake EU ministers into action. The EU cannot continue to stand idle in the face of such appalling loss of life.

“In failing to show solidarity with their neighbours, European governments are not just turning a blind eye to tragedy – their inaction has grave political consequences.

“As long as they block a more even distribution of migrants, they fuel the narrative of right wing populists and gift them an argument for attacking the EU – as the recent Italian elections have shown.

“We can only take on and beat the far right if we have better answers to the pressures facing European citizens. The European Parliament has already set out ambitious reforms to the Dublin system, which would ease the disproportionate pressure piled on a few Member States. The European Union’s governments need to show front-line countries such as Italy, Greece and others that they are prepared to work together to make this happen.”

Notes:

[1] https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/article/press/dublin-system-reforms-will-ensure-greater-solidarity/

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Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, today sent a letter to the Home Secretary Sajid Javid questioning the high fees charged for immigration and nationality applications

You can read the full text of Jean’s letter below.

—

Dear Home Secretary,

Re: Home Office fees for immigration and nationality applications

First of all, I would like to wish you well in your new position. I appreciate the change in tone that has accompanied your appointment, moving away from the unhelpful rhetoric of a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants. I also appreciate the measures you have already put in place to deal with the ‘Windrush’ cases, including fee waivers for naturalisation applications. However, the UK immigration policy environment remains hostile and any shift in language must be backed up with meaningful changes in practice.

I am writing to ask you to look closely at the current Home Office fee structures for immigration and nationality applications. Current fees are extremely high, and include a profit element. This creates a barrier for applicants who wish to comply with legislative requirements but simply cannot afford to do so – especially given that this area of law is out of scope for legal aid. I would urge you to reduce these fees in line with the actual administrative costs of processing applications. It cannot be right that the Home Office is seeking to profit from individuals complying with the law.

Thank you for your kind consideration for this matter; I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert MEP
Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London

• Read pdf version here.
• Read Home Office reply here.

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