MIGRANT.NEWS, Issue 79, 30 March
2004
First meeting with the Members of the Committee on the Protection
of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
The Committee on the Protection of the
Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, held their first
session at the United Nations Office in Geneva from 1-5 March 2004.
Please find enclosed a report of the Committee meeting with the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which took place on Thursday 4th March 2004. It’s a joint summary prepared by Amnesty International, December 18, International Catholic Migration Commission and Migrants Rights International.
http://www.december18.net/web/docpapers/doc1231.doc
Reply by Mr. Vitorino on the Parliamentary question regarding the
EC position vis-à-vis the UN MWC
In the context of the
Belgian campaign for the ratification of the UN MWC and following action
undertaken by Wereldsolidariteit, Mrs. Miet Smet, Member of the European
Parliament, asked on January 8, 2004, the following parliamentary question to
the European Commission:
Available in all
EU languages
The response by
Mr. Vitorino is - to date - only available in French and Dutch and can be
accessed here:
http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?L=EN&OBJID=71667&LEVEL=4&SAME_LEVEL=1&NAV=S&LSTDOC=Y
His reply can be
summarized as followed: The Member States are probably in a better position to
explain why they did not ratify the UN Convention on the protection of the
rights of all migrant workers and members of their families. One of the main
obstacles for ratification seems to be the fact that the Convention gives
rights to all migrant workers, without taking into account their legal or
illegal situation in the host country. A significant number of the rights mentioned
in the Convention are, furthermore, guaranteed by other instruments at the EU
level and apply to EU citizens as well as workers from third countries (Charter
of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, European Convention on Human
Rights). The fact that the same rights are guaranteed by different provisions
could lead to different interpretations, which could harm the legal security.
Because of the
complexities in the provisions of the Convention, the Commission will carry out
a study of the similarities and differences between the Convention and the
common immigration policy as it has been developed at the EU level since the
coming into force of the Amsterdam Treaty.
European
Economic and Social Committee (EECS)
The European Economic and Social Committee has adopted a structured
position on immigration policy, based on respect for human rights. In view of
the Member States’ lack of action over the UN Convention on the protection of
the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families, the Committee
wants to work to underline the importance of its ratification. It is therefore
holding a hearing to ascertain the views of organisations dealing with migrants
and Council representatives. This meeting is scheduled for 4th May
2004 in Brussels. The EESC is a consultative body where the representatives of
social partners and other civil society organisations can make their voices
heard in the EU institutions.
For more information, contact: Pierluigi.Brombo@esc.eu.int
Website: www.esc.eu.int
END
Published by
December 18 vzw
http://www.december18.net/web/general/page.php?pageID=19&menuID=29&lang=EN&seclang=0
For
more information, please contact Myriam De Feyter at:
Spanish,
Italian and French version available upon request.
Spanish
version translated by Maria Ruiz, Spain
French
version translated by Cathérine Thomas, France
Italian
version translated by Eny Giambastiani, Italy.