The humanitarian crisis on the EU-Belarus border must be a wake-up call for genuine asylum policy in the EU

Migration hands © Can Stock Photo budabar

(1st December 2021) In an emergency statement adopted on 25 November, the leaders of EPSU affiliates express grave concerns regarding the humanitarian crisis on the EU Polish-Belarus border, which continues unfolding.

The EPSU Executive Committee  condemns the instrumentalization of refugees for political ends at various EU external borders, which is, to a large extent, an outcome of a failing EU asylum and migration policy.

It reiterates EPSU’s condemnation of the Belarus regime, calls upon the Polish government to allow access on its border to humanitarian assistance and the media and provide asylum-seekers with international protection while an EU-led humanitarian corridor be put in place.

“EU governments’ reliance on militarization of borders, illegal pushbacks of refugees is morally and legally wrong and is not working. Together with the Commission, EU governments must agree a solidarity and human rights-based asylum and migration policy or risk other similar crisis taking place on other EU external borders. To keep refugees outside the EU is causing deaths of adults and children who have the right to seek and find safety and is putting at risks the safety of our members working on the borders ”. says EPSU General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan

The statement is available here (EN - FR - DE - ES - IT -  SV - RU - TK)

ETUC Statement on Belarus-EU border: Border guards, walls and razor wire cannot be the response to a humanitarian emergency

Communiqué de Presse commun TUC et CGT - Calais, droits des migrants (30/11/2021)

TUC CGT Joint Statement on Channel crossing deaths and asylum rights