Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 8 March 2016 - Strasbourg

The situation of women refugees and asylum seekers in the EU (debate)

  Timothy Kirkhope, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, as the UK Minister responsible for resettlement during the Bosnian crisis, I saw first-hand just what war does to a country, to its people and to their hopes for the future, and I am proud to be from a Europe that does not turn its back on the rest of the world. But the sad truth is that when some European leaders opened their doors last year to everyone seeking a better life, it merely pushed the most desperate, the most vulnerable and the most in need to the back of an already very long queue. To truly help those people most in need, I have long believed the solution is direct resettlement from conflict regions. It reduces pull factors, it presents the tragic loss of life at sea, it reduces the demand for human trafficking, and it helps stabilise our external borders.

If the EU is to continue offering a Europe of opportunity, sanctuary and community cohesion, then the EU must realise that resettlement and controlled immigration flows must be the solution. High Commissioner, as rapporteur for the Permanent Relocation Mechanism, I would like to try to link that proposal with an ambitious UNHCR-led resettlement programme with the EU. Relocation in its current form is simply not working. Let us be truthful with each other: some Member States feel as though the system was forced on them, and migrants only want to go to certain Member States. It is not a recipe for a long-term successful system. Member States will not support relocation in a meaningful way until the external borders are secure, the flow of migrants has stabilised and we start to have a sense of the numbers we ultimately need to relocate.

Keeping Europe’s borders open with no clear plan or end in sight will only exacerbate the situation. We talk about safe legal routes to Europe. Resettlement achieves that. It helps ensure safe passage, especially for women and children to whom you have referred eloquently today, taking them out of the hands of evil human traffickers. Too many female refugees are facing exploitation. Too many unaccompanied minors are tragically unaccounted for today. Europe could offer more Syrians, more women and more children refuge if we could get control of this crisis. To put in place a fair and controlled immigration system does not mean you lack compassion, but simply ensures that you can give genuine refugees the safety, the stability and the opportunities they truly deserve.