21/06/2011 Session
Strasbourg, 21.06.2011 – Council of Europe member states should accept, as a priority, the relocation and resettlement of asylum seekers and refugees from countries “under strain” on Europe’s southern shores, PACE said today.
In a resolution based on a report by Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG), the Assembly said all European governments had a moral duty to assist Malta, Italy and other countries dealing with the thousands of “boat people” who have arrived from North Africa in recent months: “Fair sharing of responsibility for resettlement is essential.”
Help should also be given with border controls, the interception of boats and rescue at sea, infrastructure for reception centres and assistance with screening, as well as facilitating returns, the parliamentarians said.
In a separate resolution on interception and rescue at sea, based on a report by Arcadio Díaz Tejera (Spain, SOC), the Assembly said surveillance of Europe’s southern shores had become a regional priority. “Member states have both a moral and legal obligation to save persons in distress,” the parliamentarians said, calling for a rigorous application of international law.