01 August 2016
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
The Commission originally proposed adopting a European list made up initially of six "safe countries of origin": Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. The report by the civil liberties committee cites a number of concerns and significantly alters the Commission's proposal, including by refusing to include any specific countries before opinions from the European Asylum Support Office have been completed.
The rapporteur, Sylvie Guillaume MEP (Socialists & Democrats group), notes in the report's explanatory statement:
"we should not overstate this proposal’s potential in the context of the current migratory crisis. The added value of a European list of safe countries of origin should be assessed in the light of the overall effective management of EU asylum systems and the full implementation of the provisions of the common European asylum system."
See: Explanatory statement (pdf)
Full report by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE): REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an EU common list of safe countries of origin for the purposes of Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection, and amending Directive 2013/32/EU (pdf)
Background: Legal response to migration continues: safe countries of origin list and visa waivers (Statewatch News Online, July 2016): the LIBE committee adopted its position in late July, but the report was not published until 8 August.
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.
Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.