The multiplicity of actors involved in the reception and protection of migrants can raise questions about the sharing of competences, the efficiency of procedures, and the responsibility of the respective institutions. Moreover, in many cases, States have delegated some of their responsibilities and powers to non-governmental organisations, and even to the private sector. At a time when migrants are sometimes presented as being “undesirable” on European soil, when their fundamental rights are being undermined by pushbacks and administrative detention, which have become commonplace, by the deadly travel conditions to which they are subjected by criminal networks of smugglers, and by the undignified conditions in which they are received, it is important not to forget that European States have obligations towards them, which stem from the international norms which they have subscribed to.
Implementing such norms requires clear mandates, carried out by motivated staff who have been properly trained and are remunerated appropriately for the responsibilities and tasks they are asked to undertake. In practice, in many countries, staff are required to carry out tasks which they have not been trained for, or responsibilities have been delegated to them without there necessarily being a transfer of skills and adequate resources.
The Parliamentary Assembly must listen to the voices of those involved in the management and reception of migrants, whose task has become increasingly thankless and stressful as the issue of migration has been instrumentalised by a number of populist parties. It should analyse the challenges faced by State and private actors, looking at the distribution of competences between them, so as to identify their often-overlooked needs and propose solutions to better respond both to these needs and those of the migrants seeking refuge in Europe.