to express the political position of the CoR on the gradual implementation of the CEAS, with a particular reference to the prospect for the reform of the Dublin regulation;
to indicate the impact of the current asylum and international protection system on the sub-national level;
to underline the importance of solidarity and the fair allocation of responsibilities for local and regional authorities;
to express the political position of the CoR and LRA on the recent European Commission communication.
EP report refers to the role of local and regional authorities in ensuring a high level degree of solidarity in asylum policy. A close cooperation between the CoR and EP rapporteur ensured that the CoR opinion and the EP opinions report share common messages, i.e. practical cooperation on the ground, relocation and resettlement etc.
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,
- points to the capital importance of asylum as a human right, but also as an achievement of civilisation, enshrined in international legal documents such as the Geneva Convention, the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and in the legislation of all the Member States bar none, the cornerstone of the asylum system being the principle of non-refoulement;
- points out that with reference to Article 80 TFEU, solidarity and the fair sharing of responsibility together form the institutional concepts governing the whole range of European policies which, in the context of the area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ), cover the movement of persons, in this case, the management and crossing of external borders, asylum and international protection and immigration. This article provides an adequate legal basis for European legislative measures aimed at increasing solidarity and encouraging the fair sharing of responsibilities;
- points out that the current situation shows that in matters of asylum, practical solidarity is needed between the EU and the Member States and expresses its conviction that it will not be possible to achieve a common and high level of international protection for those seeking international protection or entitled to it unless mechanisms are in place that take account of the major disparities between the individual Member States, in terms both of the number of third-country nationals they receive on their soil and of the financial, technical and other options available for managing these migratory flows;
- underlines the local and regional dimension of solidarity and the fair sharing of responsibilities in terms of political asylum, and points out that local authorities play a major role in informing their citizens and that they can help raise awareness regarding questions of asylum and international protection, thereby positively influencing the way the local community receives and accepts incomers;