JEF presents the alternatives you face in the election. This week we present the views of all Political Party Youth Organisations (PPYO’s) and JEF-Europe about migration. Last week we published their views on social rights.
EFAy – European Free Alliance Youth: We believe that Europe should be a continent that welcomes and supports the world’s most vulnerable people, and should be considered a home, not a fortress. While supporting the principle of free movement within its borders, we condemn the fact that many young people in seriously crisis-striken countries must migrate in search of employment opportunities.
Federation of Young European Greens – FYEG: Migration is natural to human beings. However many people have to migrate, because they have to leave their homes. War, Climate Change, Poverty, Persecution and many other horrible reasons often cause migration to European borders. Migration is not a crime, but freedom of movement is a human right. Therefore we want to stop all deportation and dissolve detention centres. We need a fair asylum system in Europe. Asylum seekers should be free and able to choose the country in which they want to apply for asylum, therefore the current Dublin II regulations are not suitable for Europe. With the Syrian war, there are millions of refugees at the European and EU borders. We need to give shelter to them and allow them to apply for asylum. Once people have migrated to European societies, they experience a lot of pressure. We stand for inclusion instead of assimilation. Migrants and migration is good for an open and changing society.
International Federation of Liberal Youth – IFLRY: Migration is a cornerstone in the modern day society. An important value is the free market economy, which allows for international labor migration. Also, IFLRY sees the value of migration in bringing cultural diversity and exchange of ideas. IFLRY’s ideal is a visa free world and believe that governments should work towards achieving this.
European Liberal Youth – LYMEC: We are against a “Fortress Europe”. Besides being economically beneficial,migration is a historical and natural phenomenon, and it is also a constituting character of European culture. Globalisation must be global: economic, political, and civic. We therefore want to see a harmonized common and free immigration. A liberal right to asylum system without any economic considerations accompanies it. There should be no obstacles inside the EU to free trade and free movement of labour force, private capital and services. To secure the free movement of people, social rights should be transferable between member states. We support a de-facto establishment of an EU citizenship, which is complimentary to national citizenship. There should be no difference in rights between new and old member states.
Young European Socialists – YES: Young European Socialists strongly opposes the current ‘European’ approach based on fear, mistrust and security. We do not believe in “Fortress Europe” or that we would be better off with closing the boarders. We advocate for a common, coherent rights-based EU migration and asylum policy that promotes integration, and a more fair and balanced policy response. It should cover all aspects of this complex issue including tackling the root causes of migration, the social and economic challenges and opportunities of migration, migrant integration, security and protection as well as asylum procedures. A common, stable and coherent asylum policy should be based on equal sharing of the costs of accepting and integrating immigrants between member states, on full civil, political and social rights for immigrants with or without legal status, as well as on the right to unite families.
Youth of European People’s Party – YEPP: We stand against illegal migration through the external borders of Europe. To deal with this, Europe has to address the source of the problem, providing development and aid assistance to third countries, as well as cooperation on issues such as asylum, readmission and returns. We support a common migration policy which reflects on the needs of our labour market, to develop Europe’s competitiveness. As a land of freedom, Europe should support the right of asylum for people fleeing their country of origin for fear of persecution and show solidarity to people in need.
Young Europeans Federalists – JEF Europe: Migration is not a problem but a fundamental resource for Europe. Migration is a European issue, not just a national one! Migrants that want to enter the EU enter it via the countries at the borders of the European Union, where this often creates many tensions and burdens for those countries. We need a European Immigration Policy to share the costs and benefits of migration in a better way in the European Union!
