Problems of Yugoslav migrants and the development of relations between Yugoslavia and the Council of Europe
Recommendation 1070
(1988)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- See Doc. 5822, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography. Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 23 March 1988.
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
3. Conscious of the fact that more than 500 000 Yugoslav workers are now in employment in Council of Europe member countries;
4. Aware of the significant contribution made by these Yugoslav migrants and their families to the economic, social and cultural life of the host countries;
5. Concerned about the fact that these workers, who come from a country which is not a member of the Council of Europe but are employed in member countries, are covered by neither the European Social Charter nor the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers. instruments to which only member states may accede;
6. Noting that Yugoslavia has not acceded to the European Convention on Social Security, despite the fact that this instrument is open for signature by non-member states;
7. Aware that, in spite of the existence of bilateral agreements on social protection between Yugoslavia and the host countries, there are still certain gaps in these agreements and in their practical application, especially in the sphere of assisted returns;
8. Considering that the Yugoslav authorities' policy, which aims to eliminate the causes of emigration and to create the conditions for a gradual return of migrants, is encountering a number of economic difficulties, as a result of which these objectives will not be attainable in the short term;
9. Conscious of the Yugoslav authorities' concern about protecting the cultural identity of young, especially second-generation, migrants, through the promotion of instruction in their mother tongue;
10. Welcoming the granting to Yugoslavia of the status of associate member of the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund for National Refugees and Overpopulation, which enables it to use resources from the fund to finance projects of a private or co-operative nature for the reintegration of migrant workers;
11. Welcoming the interest shown by the Yugoslav authorities in the activities of the Council of Europe, particularly in relation to migrant workers, an interest which was reflected by the presence of Yugoslav observers at the recent Conference of European Ministers responsible for Migration Affairs;
12. Noting with satisfaction that contact between its committees and Yugoslavia has become much more frequent since 1985,
13. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
a strengthen relations between Yugoslavia and the Council of Europe, particularly in the field of migration, by inviting Yugoslav representatives to attend meetings of the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) as observers;
b take account of the specific needs of Yugoslav migrant workers and their families whenever activities connected with the social changes resulting from migration are carried out;
c take into consideration the existence in member countries of large communities of Yugoslav migrants whenever projects on inter-community relations are carried out;
d encourage the creation of favourable financial and other conditions, enabling Yugoslav citizens to preserve and develop both their cultural identity and their links with Yugoslavia, in particular by providing teaching and general education for children and young people in their mother tongue, by giving information in the mother tongue and by stimulating cultural activities in clubs and associations;
e invite Yugoslavia to accede to the European Convention on Social Security, in order to guarantee appropriate social protection for Yugoslav migrant workers and their families settled in member countries;
f invite the Contracting Parties to the European Social Charter and to the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers to extend the rights recognised in these instruments to all migrant workers, irrespective of their country of origin;
g contribute to the extension and promotion of co-operation between the Council of Europe's Resettlement Fund and Yugoslavia, with a view to facilitating the return of Yugoslav migrant workers and to creating new opportunities for employment, in particular in underprivileged regions of Yugoslavia.
