Asylum: Commission to ensure EU asylum standards in Belgium and Greece finally implemented

Following today's decision by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on the case "M.S.S. vs. Belgium and Greece" (EU asylum policy and Dublin II), the Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber MEP (DE) said:

"The Commission must no longer close its eyes to the deficiencies in the implementation of EU asylum standards. For too long Commissioner Malmström has refused to act. The EU's common asylum standards have to be implemented in Greece and Belgium, too.

All Member States have to do their homework. At the Greek-Turkish border, the situation first went out of control until FRONTEX was finally called up for support. Now the situation has improved substantially.

Dublin II is a functioning system and the backbone of the EU's asylum policy. This basic principle must not be changed. Instead, the practice of certain Member States not to implement common standards has to stop."