Press Statement
Basic rights
of refugees defended at European Conference in Vienna
The European Council on Refugees and Exiles, ECRE, a
network of over 70 NGOs, at its conference on Refugee Reception and Integration
at The Renner
Institute, Vienna, on 11– 13
October 2002
Issues the following statement:
ECRE believes that adequate conditions of reception are essential for
the dignity of the individuals as well as for the functioning of a fair and
efficient asylum procedure. States must ensure more than just non-refoulement
in order to fulfil their obligations to asylum seekers. To enable an asylum
seeker to live in dignity and to comply with procedures including interviews,
presentation of supporting evidence etc, their basic needs must be met and
their health and security safeguarded.
Although not yet formally adopted, the political agreement on the
Council Directive laying down minimum standards on the reception of applicants
for asylum in Member States, agreed by European governments in April 2002,
requires states to provide material reception conditions (Article 13) when an
individual makes an application. While ECRE advocates for better standards than
those contained in the directive, it notes that these conditions can be in
kind, cash, or vouchers, and should ensure a standard of living adequate for
health and to enable subsistence. The Directive states:
Housing should be provided which protects
family life and allows communication with and access by family, legal advisors,
UNHCR, NGOs and should preclude assaults.
States can only derogate from this duty
“exceptionally, and for as short a time as possible”, when
assessing needs, where conditions are not available in a given area, or where
the applicant is detained.
Reception can only be withdrawn if
accommodation is abandoned without informing the authorities or if the asylum
seeker does not comply with procedures, for example, attending interviews, or
seriously breaches the rules of the accommodation.
Decisions to withdraw reception can only
take place individually, objectively and impartially and there is a right of
appeal.
Apart from the commitment to provide reception conditions agreed in
the Directive, there is a consensus among EU Member States of the need to
provide for the basic needs of asylum seekers. Many states have a long history
of providing state accommodation for all needy asylum seekers. Others, with a
less developed system, are in the process of expanding the accommodation they
make available to bring themselves into line with European norms.
Lack of proper reception undoubtedly affects the welfare of
individual asylum seekers but also has wider consequences – generating a
range of social problems for local communities in the host state.
This conference brings together over 100 experts in the reception of
asylum seekers and the integration of refugees, to promote good practice in the
provision of services within the European Union.
Peer Baneke, General Secretary of the European Council on Refugees
and Exiles says “The achievement of a political agreement on the EU
Reception Directive is a mandate for improving standards for asylum seekers
across the Union, not lowering them”.
11
October 2002
For
further information contact the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
at:
Stapleton House 205 rue Belliard
Clifton Centre
– Unit 22 Box
14
110 Clifton Street 1040
Brussels
London EC2A 4HT Belgium
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0)171 729 51 52 Tel +32 (0)2 514 59 39
Fax +44 (0)171 729 51 41 Fax
+32 (0)2 514 59 22
e-mail
ecre@ecre.org e-mail
euecre@ecre.be