Newsletter - November 2009 - Issue n°9

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Resolution on the Stockholm programme

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the Stockholm programme, in which it namely stresses “the importance of granting migrants access to justice, housing, education and health care, in accordance with, inter alia, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families”. In the meantime, “the possibility of establishing common standards for taking charge of illegal immigrants who cannot be deported” has been dropped from its latest version. The Stockholm programme is due to be agreed by the JHA Council on 30 November-1 December 2009 and then formally adopted by the European Council in Stockholm on 10 December 2009.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Barroso unveiled his team

John Dalli (from the Nationalist party, member of the European People’s party) is set to become the new Commissioner for DG SANCO. John Dalli is currently the Minister for Social Policy in Malta. DG ‘Justice, Liberty and Security’ responsibilities will be spread over 2 DGs: ‘Home Affairs’, with Cecilia Malmström (from Sweden’s Liberal People’s party, part of the ALDE) as Commissioner, and ‘Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship’, with Viviane Reding (from Luxemburg’s CSV, affiliated with the EPP), while ‘Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion’ goes to László Andor (from Hungary’s socialist party). The new Commission must gain approval from the European Parliament before it takes office (the vote of consent is foreseen to take place on 26 January 2010).

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

‘Respect for fundamental rights in European immigration policies and legislation’.

On 4 November, the EESC adopted an opinion on ‘Respect for fundamental rights in European immigration policies and legislation’. The Committee considers that “certain Member States need to provide better protection of the fundamental rights of undocumented immigrants, and that the EU should consider them as one of the most vulnerable groups, preventing their labour exploitation and by ensuring their access to health services (…).”

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AGENCY

"Equal rights for everyone – a luxury in times of crisis?”

The Fundamental Rights Agency is inviting individuals to respond to its online questionnaire on "Equal rights for everyone – a luxury in times of crisis?”. Feedback from individuals will feed into the FRA Fundamental Rights Conference 2009 and will challenge participants to develop solutions to the identified challenges and issues. Deadline to take part to the online survey is 8 December 2009.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

BELGIUM

Belgian refugee camp in Brussels’ city centre

On Wednesday 18 November, a refugee camp was set up in the city centre, as a temporary measure as the Belgian government failed to provide accommodation for more than a 1000 asylum seekers. The NGO’s involved were CIRE, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, Caritas International, Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde.

On Friday 20 November, the Belgian Council of Ministers introduced measures to try to resolve the asylum seekers’ reception crisis. 420 accommodation places should be freed in the coming days. The NGO’s welcomed the measures considering them “a step forward” while warning that the reception problems will still need a structural answer. On Monday 23 November, the NGO’s decided to close the refugee camp down as they feared that the tensions rising between the asylum seekers and the police would lead to confrontations. During the 5 days of existence of the camp 250 persons were given shelter and medical assistance.

Source: medecinsdumonde.be

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DENMARK

Doctors providing medical assistance to failed asylum seekers under pressure

The Danish Christian Doctors Association announced that its annual congress had decided that the organisation would continue to provide medical assistance to failed Iraqi asylum seekers, even though this is prohibited under Danish law. At the same time, the governing Liberal Party has requested the Minister of Justice to determine whether the group Kirkeasyl (“Church Asylum”) is violating Danish law and “abusing” public funds by assisting failed Iraqi asylum seekers. Source: Picum newsletter, November 2009 and kirkeasyl.dk.

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GERMANY

On 24 November, the social-democrat party (SPD) introduced a law proposal to modify the Aliens act, on the one hand to extend further the prohibition to denounce undocumented migrants (see HUMA network newsletter of September 2009): obligation to denounce would be limited to forces of law and order; and on the other hand, in case of assistance to undocumented migrants, to limit sanctions to those persons who where assisting for financial gain. The short discussion that took place on 26 November showed that this proposal is not likely to be adopted during the current legislature.

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NETHERLANDS

Access to health care for undocumented migrants: report updated

NIVEL (for Nederlands instituut voor onderzoek van de gezondheidszorg, or ‘Netherlands Institute for Health Care Research’) has published an update of its ongoing research on access to health care for undocumented migrants in the Netherlands. NIVEL asked health care providers what changes they anticipated as a result of the new rules for the financing of assistance to undocumented migrants, which came into effect in January 2009. While most care providers appeared to have become more willing to assist the undocumented, general practitioners received a disproportionate number of undocumented patients. The full report, titled “Toegankelijkheid van gezondheidszorg voor 'illegalen' in Nederland: een update”, is available here. Source: Picum newsletter, November 2009.

PUBLICATIONS

The situation of Roma EU citizens moving to and settling in other EU Member States"

On 9 November 2009, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released a new report on this issue. This report provides evidence that Roma are strongly discriminated against and experience social exclusion when exercising their EU citizens' right of freedom of movement. The FRA report highlights shortcomings but also points out good practices across the EU. It gives concrete recommendations on how the situation could be improved.

 

NEWS from the HUMA network

 

‘Right to health care of undocumented migrants in European and German context’

 

Ärzte der Welt (MDM Germany) organized a symposium on 23 November 2009, with the title Right to health care of undocumented migrants in European and German context - Theory, praxis and solution statements. The symposium took place at the Charité university clinic and had three parts:

· a presentation of the main findings of the second report of the “European Observatory on Access to Health Care” by Nathalie Simonnot and Pierre Chauvin;

· a presentation of the situation and the current political discussion in Germany, through Maria Heinzlmann (ÄdW), and representatives of Diakonie and the Hamburger Weltwirtschaftsinstitut (Hamburg Institute of International Economics);

· and finally a podium discussion with members of the German Parliament (FDP and Die Linke), a representative of the German medical association, the president of MDM Germany and a member of the Medibüro (an association offering health care to undocumented migrants in Berlin).

 

The symposium was a success and around 80 people attended including doctors, medical students and members of the Parliament. A press conference was held after the symposium and two articles were published in the national press.