Newsletter - January 2010 - Issue n°11

EU DEVELOPMENTS

• Hearing of Commissioner-designate for fundamental rights in European parliament

 

Viviane Reding, Commissioner-designate in charge of Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship appeared in the European Parliament before the competent committees. She emphasized the need to re-establish the balance between security and justice in EU policies. She committed to ensure that every piece of EU legislation as well as the implementing measures undertaken by Member States would be scrutinized for their compatibility with the Charter of Fundamental Rights. In response to a question from ECRE after the hearing regarding the fundamental rights of third country nationals, Viviane Reding explained that she believes in the notion of ‘global citizenship’ which accords rights to individuals not on the basis of nationality but on the basis of the fact that they are all human beings.

Source: ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 15 January 2010

• The Spanish presidency’s health priorities

 

Ms. Jimenez, Spanish Minister for health, emphasised that the new trio of presidencies (Spain, Belgium and Hungary) are committed to work together. Universality, fairness and solidarity will underpin all work throughout their six months. Asked about the Patients’ Rights Directive, which Spain blocked along with a number of other countries, Ms. Jimenez defended the principles of the Spanish position on this dossier but assured Members of the Committee that Spain would consider the views of all Member States. Many MEPs were pleased to see solidarity and a commitment to reduce inequalities included in the programmes of the Presidency.

 

Source: Spanish Health Minister discusses priorities for Presidency, EPHA

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

 

BELGIUM

 

• Suspicious death of a Tunisian asylum seeker in a detention centre:

 

On 4 January 2010, a 31-year-old Tunisian asylum seeker died in a foreigners detention centre near Liege, three days after he was held there. After the police had described the death as "suspicious", the Belgian interior ministry foreigners' office claimed that it was drug-related, as the man was deemed a drug addict and the hypothesis on the cause of death by the coroner was a methadone and benzodiazepine overdose. The family in Tunisia denied that he was a drug addict and has confirmed that it will file a lawsuit. Local human rights associations and fellow detainees spoke of the possibility that the death may have resulted from an illness that received inadequate medical care.

http://www.statewatch.org/news/2010/jan/01belgium-tunisian-death.htm

 

NETHERLANDS

• On 27 January, the minister reacted to the publication “Niet vergeten!”, handed over to him in December by MDM Netherlands, and in which he admits that information provided by support organisations will be taken into account when monitoring the access to healthcare of undocumented migrants. The full-text is available here.

 

• On 28 January, the Commission of health care of the 2nd Chamber had a general meeting with the minister. MPs asked questions about access for undocumented migrants, on dental care, and on the way of monitoring by CVZs (which are in charge of carrying out the financial regulation of 2009). The minister rejected concerns that removing dental care from the list of “necessary care” that can be reimbursed would lead to serious dental health problems. The Minister also promised that more attention would be paid to ensure that hospital staff is aware of the obligation to provide necessary care. The full-text is available here

 

SPAIN

• Vic town council norms to stop undocumented migrants to register withdrawn

The Municipality of Vic (in Catalonia) had unilaterally made the decision to stop registering undocumented migrants in the local civil registry (padrón). This registration is the condition to get the health card in Catalonia and in most of the Spanish regions. The government and other Spanish institutions have rapidly clarified that a measure as such is contrary to the Spanish Immigration Act and the general rules on registration of the population (empadronamiento). The municipality of Vic has explained that they did not really seek to stop registration but to increase the control on the necessary documents that undocumented migrants must submit in order to be registered and thus to obtain the health card (ID or passport and address). The Vic case has originated an extensive political debate throughout Spain about the local registration of undocumented migrants. In this context, the media has revealed that other municipalities are also developing “bad practices” as regards the local registration of this population.

Source: El País, De la Vega reprocha al alcalde de Vic que tome decisiones unilaterales y fuera de la ley, 12 January 2010.

 

 

• Municipalities to decide on registration depending on living conditions

The Spanish newspaper El País reports that the Spanish Government will propose a law allowing municipalities to refuse registration to people who live in houses which exceed a certain proportion of inhabitants per square meter. This follows the controversy which surrounded several Spanish towns’ plans to refuse to register undocumented migrants. The government had previously condemned those plans, noting that in practice they will block healthcare for migrants.

Sources:

- El País, 'El Gobierno permitirá denegar el padrón por "inhabitabilidad"', 27 January 2010.

- ECRE, ‘ECRE Weekly Bulletin 22 January 2010’

PUBLICATIONS

• Over the wall – A tour of Italy’s migrant centres

This report is the result of an in-depth enquiry of MSF (Doctors without borders) on health conditions, structures, management, services provided and respect of human rights in Italian migrants centres for identification and expulsion ("CIE"), reception centres ("CDA") and centres for asylum seekers ("CARA"). Abstracts are available in English and French.

 

• Addressing health inequalities boosts the economy

According to a report launched in the framework of the DETERMINE project on health equity, addressing health inequality in Europe would provide a long-term economic boost. These findings support previous statements by Commissioner Vassiliou urging Member States to invest in closing health gaps despite the economic downturn.

The new report says economic arguments should be used to lobby politicians to direct funds towards health inequality projects. "Targeted investment to address health inequalities by action on social determinants of health is more cost effective than paying later for the consequences of these inequalities," the report says. Source : Euractiv

 

• “The detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Europe”

This is a report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Council of Europe. It comprises an appendix on 15 European rules governing minimum standards of conditions of detention for migrants and asylum seekers, with detailed provisions as regards the safeguarding of the health and well-being of all detainees by the detention authorities.

• Global economic downturn has changed little about European views of immigration

A survey on the perception of immigration was conducted in the next countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom, United States, and Spain. Among the main findings: increase of support over the previous year for legalization of illegal immigrants in all surveyed European countries.; a plurality or majority in the three Mediterranean countries surveyed – France, Italy and Spain - thought that increasing development aid would be the best way to reduce illegal immigration, favouring this policy over border controls, employer sanctions, and facilitating legal immigration.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• ‘Health care for the undocumented and uninsured’: the Wellesley Institute will hold a one-day research conference in Toronto, Canada, on 12 February 2010, which will gather local academics and community researchers in health services for the undocumented and uninsured clients. More information is available here.

 

• MdM Sweden will hold a conference on 23 February 2010 in Stockholm. It will focus on “Undocumented migrants’ access to health care: how is the discussion ahead of the 2010 elections?" More information is available here.