LESS than a month ago, I stood up in the House of Commons to challenge the UK Government on its part in agreeing the deal between the EU and Turkey to repatriate people seeking safety in Europe.
Even at that point, hours after the agreement had been reached, it was clear to many, including key organisations such as Amnesty International and Save the Children, that the proposals that ministers had signed up to were fundamentally flawed. Senior international figures such as Vincent Cochetel from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had publicly stated that such an agreement, which would mean that for every Syrian sent back to Turkey from Greece or elsewhere in the EU, the EU would accept one Syrian refugee directly from Turkey, would not be consistent with either European or international law.
Over and above this point of law, the minister replying caused further concern by refusing his chance to set out how our UK Government will promote accountability and transparency around the three billion Euros that was due to be given to Turkey by the end of last month as part of the pact.
Less than a month later, this week we saw the first refugee exchange take place between Greece, Turkey and Germany.
It’s a sad day for the rule of law when such an agreement can be pursued for political ends across Europe without thought to those directly affected by it. This is a political fix rather than a real attempt to ease the plight of vulnerable people. It’s this group who are relying on the application of international law to help address their tragic situation.
Let’s be clear, refugees from the violence in Syria should not have to solely rely on the West’s compassion or mercy to provide safety for them and their families. They should be able to rely on the law to act as our humanitarian safety net. The rules are clearly set out in the UN Convention on Refugees. They should be properly and fairly implemented.
UN Conventions are not here today, gone tomorrow political documents. Forged in the aftermath of the Second World War, the UN Convention on Refugees has been a cornerstone of the international response to international tragedies over the past six decades. It has stood the test of time because within its fifty pages it sets out a clear and unambiguous framework for defining refugees, the principles that should be followed in securing their safety and the standards that should be applied to this work. Documents like this protect us all, or protect no one.
That’s why I’m deeply concerned that we’ve rewritten this treaty over a weekend in a backroom in Brussels, in the midst of the biggest humanitarian crisis faced by the EU since its inception.
That’s no way to make good law. I’m concerned that by acting in this way we’ll undermine the foundations of the just and fair society we have here in Europe, which inspires those seeking freedom and safety to take all means necessary to travel here from the conflict that has ravaged towns of Syria.
The EU is a beacon of liberty and hope for so many, which is why we should ensure that we do all we can to protect this legacy rather than trade it away for short-term advantage in our domestic politics.
I’m not for one moment suggesting that we take no action now to ease this crisis, quite the opposite.
I was shocked to hear the stories of refugees in the makeshift camps in Calais following the return of a Scottish delegation last week. My MP colleagues Joanna Cherry and Anne McLaughlin travelled with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and academics to see and hear first-hand about the current conditions, so that we can continue to put pressure on the Tory Government to act with their counterparts in France to and resolve the situation there.
The International Organization for Migration has recently estimated that of the 150,000 migrants seeking refuge in Greece so far in 2016, over 50,000 have been children.
We cannot sit idly by while hundreds drown in the Mediterranean Sea or as so many languish in unacceptable conditions under the watchful eye of our first world neighbours.
But at the same time, I share the deep concern of many NGOs operating in this area that this is the wrong course of action for the EU.
I remain profoundly concerned about the opaque nature of the multi-billion-pound settlement offered to the Turkish Government as their part of the deal, a government which has recently continued its assault on human rights and freedom of the press within its own borders, and about reports from Amnesty and others which state that Turkey has been sending refugees back to Syria.
One month on from the EU-Turkey Summit, the UK Government needs to stop their obfuscation and address these concerns directly. The fate of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people rests in their hands.
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