The immigrant-refugee issue and the recent human tragedies in the Mediterranean were at the center of the 2nd Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the Union for the Mediterranean, held yesterday in Lisbon, Portugal.
The President of the Hellenic Parliament Ms Zoe Konstantopoulou had Substantial contribution to the formulation of the final declaration adopted (http://paufm.org/Future_Meetings/Docs/IISummit-of-Speakers_Lisbon-11MAY2015/DeclaracaoCimeira_EN.pdf).
The conference attended 23 out of 28 countries of the European Union, countries of the southern Mediterranean and North African countries.
The Presidents of the Parliaments participated in a panel discussion on "Immigration, asylum and human rights in the Euro-med region", during which the recent tragic events in the Mediterranean, the refugee rescue operations and the need for a humanitarian approach to migration and refugee flows were put on the table.
In her speech, Zoe Konstantopoulou stressed that "Parliaments must take a more active role than observation", noting, inter alia, that the fight against human trafficking must not put lives at risk and the asylum is not an act of charity but an international obligation and a fundamental human right. "Xenophobia and racism should be combated," said Mr. Konstantopoulou, recalling that the logic of zero tolerance and Fortress Europe nurtured and exacerbated this phenomenon. Also, the Speaker noted that the Dublin regulatory framework have failed miserably and that its revision is an imperative.
http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/Enimerosi/Grafeio-Typou/Deltia-Typou/?press=f2e562c9-373f-481b-b830-a49600c54e34