European
Security and Refugees
On
20 September 2001 the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the EU invited
the Commission “to examine urgently the relationship between
safeguarding internal security and complying with international protection
obligations and instruments.”* The
Quaker Council for European Affairs recognises the legitimacy for
the EU and its member states to ensure security for their citizens
and residents. However, the risk of criminalising refugees and others
belonging to certain groups by association is very serious. The
security debate is beginning to question the validity and application
of international human rights law. Europe must realise that it has
to continue to stand up for the application of international law
regardless of its impact on national interests. European politics
gains nothing by contributing to a climate of xenophobia, discrimination
and racist aggression.
Several
member states of the EU have held national elections since last
September. It is worrying that four (Belgium, France, Italy and
now the Netherlands) of the six original founding nations of what
is now the European Union, have elected representatives from the
far right. In Denmark, after the general elections of November 2001,
the governing parties depend on the support of the Danish People’s
Party, a nationalistic and largely xenophobic movement with a surprisingly
successful election result.
In
line with the US/Bush letter to the EU in October 2001 which called
for the formation of a coalition in the ‘war against terrorism’,
the idea of creating a new European Border Police Force has gained
much support. The European Commission, after suggesting a definition
of terrorism to cover civil protest against existing political or
economic systems, has now put forward a series of ideas which would
restrict refugees’ and asylum seekers’ rights under
international law, supposedly in order to safeguard EU internal
security. It is important that proposals such as these are subject
to proper democratic scrutiny. Justice and home affairs is one of
the areas where the division of competence between member states
and the EU is still evolving, making it vital for the Convention
on the future of Europe to come up with clear and democratic structures.
We
consider it important that the definition of who is a refugee or
an asylum seeker remains in full compliance with the definitions
stated in the Geneva Convention. The status of protection on humanitarian
grounds must be safeguarded instead of abolished totally, as some
countries now suggest. The concept of a “safe third country”
must be clearly defined and include the “non-refoulement”
obligation under the Geneva Convention. It should be born in mind
that the absence of war does not necessarily mean peace, nor otherwise
guarantee safety for all returnees.
In
considering the question of the treatment of people living in Europe
who are not citizens of one of the member states it is vital that
we show respect for the ethical if not spiritual values upon which
our European culture is based and urge decision-makers to do the
same. We must not be discouraged by hidden forces which use people’s
fears to secure their own objectives.
Anita
Wuyts
* para.
29 of Council conclusions: http://ue.eu.int/newsroom
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The
Convention on the Future of Europe: an ‘Intellectual Reassessment
of the European Union’
On
28th February 2002 the 105 members of the Convention on the Future
of Europe met for the first time in the European Parliament in Brussels.
At the inaugural session the President of the Convention, Valéry
Giscard d’Estaing, pointed out that this is “the first
occasion since the Messina Conference in 1955 for European leaders
to set aside the resources and time to examine in detail the future
of the European Union.” For the first time in nearly half a
century Europe is questioning its own existence and considering the
shape of the future. The
Convention was set up in December 2001 by the Laeken Declaration
and has the task of coming up with proposals for institutional reform
for the future of the EU, in the context of the expected enlargement
from 15 to a potential 28 member states. It also has the task of
clarifying the goals of the EU in an understandable form that the
citizens of Europe will want to rally around. It will consider Europe’s
role in the world, the democratic legitimacy of the institutions
and the division of competence between institutions and the member
states. It aims to bring forward ways to connect citizens to the
European level of politics, to create a sense of identity and belonging
to the EU without infringing on firmly held national identities.
This
self-reflection comes at a time when there is a serious lack of
connection between the EU and European citizens. In the last set
of European elections more people abstained than turned out to vote.
Protests have become a familiar and expected sight at EU summits.
The decision-making machinery of the EU is complex and verges on
the unintelligible. The negotiation of recent Treaties has given
precedence to national interests rather than concern for the European
common good. The question is whether the Convention can come up
with something inspirational to overcome these problems, or if it
will simply add to the reams of confusing and inaccessible Treaties.
Interestingly
the Convention itself may prove to be an example of more participatory
decision-making. Unlike the previous occasions when the Treaties
have been re-drafted, the Convention is open to public scrutiny
and seems to be committed to listening to the citizens of Europe.
This break from diplomatic secrecy may point the way to more open
decision-making procedures. However, while the Laeken Declaration
announced the formation of a ‘Forum’ for civil society
involvement in the work of the Convention, it is still unclear how
this Forum will work. There is a web-site dedicated to the contributions
of members of the Forum, but if civil society is to have an impact
there needs to be more structured and meaningful dialogue with the
Convention.
It
seems clear that although the Convention is structurally more accessible
to civil society, civil society will still have to work hard to
be listened to and heard. A positive development on this front is
the initiative of a large number of European non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) who have organised themselves into a ‘civil society
contact group’ with the aim of encouraging “a broad,
deep, and regular consultation of civil society through the work
of the Forum.” The civil society contact group brings together
representatives of four ‘families’ of European NGOs;
developmental NGOs, environmental NGOs, human rights NGOs and social
NGOs. The European Trade Union Confederation is also part of the
contact group. The contact group hopes to encourage the creation
of structures which will enable all civil society groups to engage
constructively with the Convention.
Bronwen
Thomas
National
debates on the issues dealt with by the Convention should be going
on in all member states and accession countries. Find out more from
European Parliament national information offices (details on the
European Parliament website http://www.europarl.eu.int/addresses/offices
or ask QCEA). Let us know of any
interesting events you are involved in or find out about.
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Convention
Facts
- The
Convention on the Future of Europe has representation from the
governments of the member states (15 representatives), national
parliaments (30), the European Parliament (16) and the Commission
(2). Accession countries also have parliamentary (26) and government
representatives (13) but will not be able to veto decisions.
- Representatives
of the Economic and Social Committee, the trade unions, the employers’
organisations, the Committee of the Regions and the European Ombudsman
will have observer status.
- Will
meet for one year, starting 28th Feb 2002.
- All
meetings will be public and all official documents accessible
to the public.
-
A Forum for civil society input will be set up: members will receive
information on the Convention’s proceedings and be able
to make contributions.
- At
the end of a year the Convention will make recommendations to
the Intergovernmental Conference on how to change the Treaties.
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Quaker
Input into the Convention
QCEA’s
Spiritual Values and Citizenship project aims to provide a Quaker
input into the Convention process. We will be joining the civil society
Forum and are already connected to the civil society contact group
through the NGO networks that we work with. The contribution we make
will be based on the consultation with Quakers that we are undertaking
through a series of seminars across Europe. The first of these seminars
have now been held and already it is clear that Quakers have a lot
to say about the issues involved. Although
it is too early in the process to draw any conclusions, it has already
emerged that one thing that is seen to be of great importance in
bringing citizens closer to European decision-making is information
and education. This is an area that is not given much attention
in the Laeken Declaration, which focuses more on institutional and
structural reform. However, as long as ordinary citizens living
within the EU do not know how the system works or, more importantly,
how it affects them and how they can influence it, even perfect
institutional structures will fail to address the current lack of
interest in European politics.
QCEA’s
seminars aim to provide Quakers with the basics of this information,
or at least an idea of where to go to find out more (the websites
below may also be a helpful starting point).
If
you would like to host a seminar in your meeting, or simply want
more information about the project, contact Bronwen Thomas
in the QCEA office.
Also
see the Spiritual Values
and Citizenship project page on this website.
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Useful
Websites
The
Convention on the Future of Europe http://european-convention.eu.int
The
Forum for civil society http://europa.eu.int/futurum/forum_convention
The
Future of Europe website. Includes the Laeken Declaration plus contributions
to the debate from politicians etc. http://europa.eu.int/futurum
White
Paper on Governance http://europa.eu.int/comm/governance
Europa
- starting point for information about the European Union
http://europa.eu.int
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