(Carta intestata dellÕAssociazione/Organizzazione)
Mr Bertie AHERN
President
of the Council of the European Union
Rue de la Loi, 175
B - 1048 Bruxelles
BELGI UM
(Luogo e
data)
To the attention of Sir Bertie AHERN
President of the
Council of the European Union
Object : Appeal against humiliating chartered flights after JHA council
During the
last informal JHA Council of 22 and 23 January 2004, the Irish presidency
suggested that member states start pilot projects of joint flights or Òcharter
flightsÓ to expel irregular migrants. But the European Parliament has not yet
given an opinion on the organisation of European "charter flights".
These
proposals, which have not been democratically controlled or scrutinised are not
legitimate.
They demonstrate
the wilful blindness of European institutions to the reality of expulsion. By
referring to the possible targeting of specific destinations of expulsion, the
Union reveals the discriminatory and humiliating aspect of this means of
expulsion.
By offering
to finance these joint return operations with community funds, the European
Commission endorses the principle of mass expulsion, thereby going beyond its
competencies and betraying the spirit of the European Convention on Human
Rights which prohibits collective expulsions.
Instead of
promoting a policy doomed to failure, the European Commission should be playing
its role in suggesting other ways to solve immigration challenges, as did M.
Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations in his speech addressed to
the European Parliament.
Organisations
from European and African countries, individuals, European and national
representatives have expressed their firm opposition to this Òcharter flightsÓ
policy. We are also asking the European Parliament to represent European
citizens' voices and to oppose these drifts.
(Firma)