Caritas Europa: Guarantee migrants right to family life
Caritas Europa is calling on the European Commission and EU Member States to guarantee
the effective right to family life and family reunification for all migrants and beneficiaries
of international protection. A joint statement by Caritas Europa and 19 other NGOs,
has been sent to the European Commission and Member States Tuesday.
Caritas
Europa says it “finds unacceptable that the European Commission is turning a blind
eye to the fact that a series of Member States are not complying with the EU Family
Reunification Directive. The European Commission has been aware of this situation
since 2008 when it published an evaluation report that cast the spotlight on Member
States' failure to transpose the Directive into law”.
In the statement Caritas
Europa also “urges the European Commission to start infringement procedures against
the Member States that are still not complying with the current EU rules. In particular,
in relation to visa facilitation, excessive requirements on fees for family reunification,
proportionality of integration measures and additional material conditions, and evidence
requirements in particular for beneficiaries of international protection”.
Caritas
Europa Policy and Advocacy Officer Karolina Babicka told Vatican Radio that the group
“considers family to be an inalienable value that corresponds to the deepest needs
and dignity of the person. Moreover, family reunification is a right protected by
article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and article 7 of the EU Charter
of Fundamental Rights”. Listen to her full interview with Emer McCarthy:
Hence, Caritas
Europa calls on the European Commission and Member States to address the following
8 points:
Remove practical obstacles to family reunification. Make
waiting periods and length of procedures as short as possible Evaluate proportionality
of and accessibility to integration measures for family reunification. Make equality
and proportionality guiding principles of any material or housing condition. Beneficiaries
of subsidiary protection must be entitled to the same favourable rules as refugees.
Clarify that the minimum age limit for spouses should be the age of majority and
reassess how to fight forced marriages. Clarify the definition of family members
and of dependent relatives entitled to family reunification, based on proportionality
and non-discrimination. Guarantee access to independent residence permit.