More than 3 000 people died or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean and the Atlantic last year, hoping to reach Europe, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR (April 2022).
The safest, fairest and most humane way to address the needs of asylum seekers coming from the South is by offering them refuge in their own region. An excellent example is the agreement reached by the UNHCR and the Africa Union with Rwanda in 2019 regarding the transfer of third-country asylum seekers from Libya to Rwanda for processing their applications.
The Parliamentary Assembly should examine safe pathways for asylum seekers for being transferred within their continent, to allow them to stay in contact with their families and communities and enable them to return to their home countries in dignity and safety in the future.
It would be naive to underestimate the burden irregular migrants have on European States, leading to a negative attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers. It is also naive to deny the fact that human traffickers are making enormous profits on the back of people trying to escape their situation in their home countries.
To discourage human trafficking and the dangerous crossing of the seas, the Council of Europe and its Assembly should also negotiate a coordinated approach for resettlement of asylum seekers in third countries.