Minimum EU standards for asylum will end current lottery between Member States
27/04/2013
The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee confirmed today the agreement reached with Council on two pieces of legislation which are part of the EU Asylum package. One text updates the rules governing the functioning of...
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A European border surveillance system will enhance detection of irregular migration and help save lives
27/11/2012
Today Parliament's Civil Liberties committee approved legislation to improve surveillance at the external borders of the Schengen area. In 2011, the European Commission presented a proposal to further develop the European border...
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Migration situation in Greece: improvements made but more needs to be done
31/10/2012
From 28 to 31 October ALDE MEP Jan Mulder (VVD, the Netherlands) led an EP fact-finding delegation to Greece on the migratory situation in the Evros region at the Greek-Turkish borders and in Athens.. Members visited the...
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Asylum seekers: no transfers to countries unable to cope with human rights
19/09/2012
After years of blockage, a compromise package between the Parliament and Council was agreed on in July to replace the Dublin II regulation, establishing the principles determining the country responsible for assessing asylum...
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Building a fence is not a panacea to border security issues
09/02/2012
"History has proven time and again that long-term security cannot be ensured by the construction of walls and fences," said Guy Verhofstadt ALDE group Leader, questioning a Greek plan to construct a 12.6 km long wall in the Evros...
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EU Asylum: solidarity reachable only with binding measures
02/12/2011
Following the reactions of certain Member States to the migration flows caused by the Arab Spring, which have put at stake the principle of Schengen and resulted in Member States taking uncoordinated measures to deal with this...
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ALDE criticises the re-introduction of internal border checks in Denmark
12/05/2011
In the most recent attempt by a Member State to re-introduce internal border checks, today's decision of the Danish government has been strongly denounced by the ALDE group in the European Parliament.
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France-Italy border row: a shameful ping-pong that puts at risk the free movement of people
04/05/2011
Responding to the Commission's communication on forging a more sustainable migration policy, Liberal and Democrats cautioned against any knee-jerk reaction which failed to address the underlying causes yet put at risk the...
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EU States continue to pass the buck over responsibility for North African migrants
12/04/2011
As tension continues to mount over the treatment of migrants fleeing from North African countries, solidarity and respect for agreed rules amongst EU Member States appears to be falling apart. Remarks by Italian Interior...
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EP approves a single permit for third country nationals seeking work in EU
24/03/2011
On 14 December 2010, ALDE rejected the amended proposal of a directive on a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member state. The Liberals and Democrats opposed the fact that Member...
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