EU Citizenship Rights for Non-EU Nationals
QCEA
continues its work on the Convention
on the Future of Europe, as it gets deeper into the ‘drafting
phase’. The Convention is now working on a second draft of the
‘constitutional Treaty’, incorporating amendments and
comments made in debate by Convention Members, by the end of May.
There is very little time for civil society to comment on this second
draft and so there is a need for our messages to be clear.
One
of QCEA’s recommendations to the Convention is the extension
of EU citizenship rights to nationals of non-EU countries legally
residing in the EU.
Citizenship
of the EU is defined in Article 7 of the current draft of the Constitutional
Treaty. EU citizenship was first included in the Maastricht Treaty
of 1992, and it is now time to take it further in accordance with
the EU values of tolerance, equality and non-discrimination.
EU
citizenship creates a set of rights which are additional to, and
do not replace, the rights and obligations of national citizenship.
The set of rights proposed in the draft Article 7 is short and specific:
freedom of movement within the EU; the right to vote and stand for
election in local and European Parliament elections; diplomatic
protection; and the right to petition the European Ombudsman. These
rights are to apply to ‘every national of a Member State’.
This
definition of citizenship excludes an estimated 15 to 20 million
people legally resident in the EU who are not nationals of member
states. These people are under the same obligations to obey the
law and pay taxes as nationals of the member states.
This
exclusion from the rights of EU citizenship reinforces discrimination
that many already face as members of minorities. The European
Economic and Social Committee, in their Draft Opinion on European
Citizenship argues that “when a person or group of people
are denied voting rights or the rights to political participation
by the society in which they reside, this society is expressing
a wish to exclude: it is refusing to let them belong to the community.”
The
extension of EU citizenship rights would not impose significant
obligations on these people, nor would it transfer further competences
to the EU from the member states. However, it would send a very
strong political message that the EU does not stand for discrimination
and is serious about its commitments to equality, tolerance and
human rights. QCEA believes that it is an important first step to
ensuring that the rights of all people are respected and given equal
weight within Europe.
Bronwen
Thomas
Values
Matter: Quakers Reflect on Europe
The
report of QCEA’s project on The Future
of Europe: Spiritual Values and Citizenship is now available.
Contact the QCEA office to ask
for a copy or visit the QCEA
website
(English
version only, other languages to follow shortly).
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Quaker
Notes from the Caucasus
Roswitha
Jarman of York MM was this March again working amongst displaced Chechen
and Ingush peoples in the North Caucasus. I
have been in this region twice a year since 1991, sometimes for
prolonged spells, and have grown to love and respect the people.
Most of the people I work with are moderate Sunni Muslims. We share
a common spirituality and respect each other’s modes of prayer.
Since
the dissolution of the Soviet Union, people of about forty different
ethnic groups, mostly moderate Sunni Muslims, in the many small
republics of the north Caucasus between the Black and Caspian Seas
have sought to resurrect their heritage, culture and language, and
their rights to territory and self determination. This has brought
about demands on the Russian government that have led to violence
and war. A short war between Ossetians and Ingush in a disputed
territory to the west of Chechnya in 1992 displaced over 60,000
Ingush many of whom have yet to return to their ancestral land because
of hostility. Chechens have suffered two horrifically destructive
wars from 1994 to 96, and from 1999 until now through their demands
for independence from Russia.
The
core of my service in this region is to provide training in psychosocial
rehabilitation, and workshops dealing with conflict, healing and
reconciliation. I work with a Chechen organisation, Agency for Rehabilitation
and Development, ARD that is supported primarily by the Dutch government
and Churches.
These
wars have destroyed much in the psyche of individuals and in interpersonal
relationships quite apart from damage to buildings and infrastructure.
War destroys trust between individuals and communities. War robs
people of a fulfilling present and replaces hope for the future
with fear and apprehension. The foremost task I have found in this
war-torn region is to be a witness to what people have experienced.
This restores some of their lost dignity. People also yearn for
skills that help them cope with the present and prepare them for
the future, and I seek to help them through training exercises.
These include listening skills, and the essential skills for coping
with the trauma of war: confused behaviour particularly of children
and young people. People also ask for skills to manage the conflicts
that are an inevitable part of life.
Many
Chechens have now lived for over three years in refugee camps in
Ingushetia close to the western border of their republic. However
many are still living within Chechnya and are experiencing extreme
fears in what is, in practice, life in an almost lawless society:
men vanish without trace; women go from office to office trying
to find out where their loved ones are; people know of the torture
in the filtration camps to which many men are taken on being accused
of supporting terrorism; villages and houses are searched for terrorists
with no regard for property or safety of the people living there.
These crimes are well reported by human rights organisations such
as the Russian Memorial, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International,
as can be seen in their reports and on their web sites.
The
service of Quakers in the North Caucasus started in 1991 in response
to an invitation from the Soviet Peace Committee to the British
Quaker Peace and Service, QPS, to arrange exchange visits between
community leaders of this region and Northern Ireland to help appreciate
and manage their inter-communal conflicts non-violently. When Peter
(my husband) and I became Quaker representatives in Moscow, later
in 1991, we continued to make contacts with the peoples of the North
Caucasus. Since then other Quakers have also given support, workshops
and training in this region. The largest Quaker initiated organisation
is the Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development, CPCD, for
which the British Friend Chris Hunter has the main responsibility.
Friends House Moscow, an international Quaker charity, occasionally
works in this region. Peter and I are also supporting indigenous
trainers and an American Quaker to facilitate the return of Ingush
to their former homes in North Ossetia. This work is partly funded
by German Quakers.
In
mid-March the Russian President apologised on TV for the excesses
of violence of the Russian security forces and military. This may
have been a first good step for healing the tragedy of the Chechen
people, or it may simply have been window dressing ahead of the
referendum that took place on March 23. Chechens were asked to vote
for a new constitution that would give them a measure of autonomy
within the Russian Federation. Few voters had read it but most of
them gave it a yes vote. Chechens are so tired of this long drawn
out, terrifying situation. They want peace and are not now asking
for independence.
I urge
Friends to know more about the Chechens in the hope that the healing
intentions of the new constitution are not just empty words. I would
be glad to send Friends copies of my reports and details of appropriate
organisations and their websites.
Roswitha
Jarman
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Promoting
the Rights of Undocumented Migrants
Forty-six
individuals and organisations participated in the General Assembly
of the Platform for
International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) which
took place in Köln, Germany in April 2003. PICUM aims to promote
respect for the human rights of undocumented migrants within Europe.
The term ‘undocumented migrants’ is used to refer to people
living in a country without legal status: it is used in preference
to ‘illegal immigrants’ to avoid the derogatory connotations
of this term. Under
the heading of ‘Undocumented Women’, two workshops preceded
the General Assembly, one on Trafficking and another on Migrant
Domestic Workers. Traditionally there are several institutions and
bodies protecting and monitoring employment rights and labour conditions.
A lack of legal status makes access to most of these organisations
difficult for undocumented migrants. A lot of research is being
done on trafficking and related problems but still very little is
known about the estimated 500,000 undocumented domestic workers
in EU member states. Mostly women, conditions for workers in individual
families are very often exploitative, whereas physical and emotional
abuses occur more frequently to women employed as domestic servants
in the diplomatic world.
The
General Assembly accepted the revised Action Plan 2003 which includes
in its project work the publication of Volume 2 of the Book of Solidarity,
a report of the practice of assistance to undocumented migrants
in most of the EU member states. The Book of Solidarity tells the
story of undocumented migrants in the EU through the eyes of help
providers. Thousands of citizens extend solidarity to undocumented
migrants, bringing into practice the values of solidarity and social
security on which the EU is based. Simultaneously, assistance provided
is an important indicator of the very real needs in society. Another
project called Shelter seeks to make an inventory of shelter problems
in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Great Britain.
A major
project on the labour conditions of undocumented migrant workers
in the EU is in its preparatory phase and will run over 2003-2004.
This work will involve making an inventory of projects and good
practices, networking with researchers and developing methodologies.
Next year’s planning includes work on the education of undocumented
migrants’ children and health care for undocumented migrants.
The
General Assembly supported the PICUM Working Paper on Dentention
and Deportation. Many NGOs have brought charges against the restrictive
deportation policies of EU member states, very often involving detention
of undocumented migrants. Deportations often take place under deplorable
legal and material conditions. Much research has also been done
on the pre-deportation detention conditions which undocumented migrants
can be subjected to.
PICUM
is against forced deportation of undocumented migrants. We encourage
the focus on and the promotion of voluntary return. If there is
to be deportation , all human rights standards have to be respected.
PICUM recognises the importance of a society regulated by rules,
provided that these rules can be followed. At present there is no
migration policy in the EU; detention and expulsion cannot replace
such a policy.
On
26 May 2003 PICUM is organising an important international conference
on ‘Undocumented Migrant Workers’ at the European Parliament
in Brussels. Several economic sectors (agriculture, domestic workers,
construction, etc) in Europe employ large numbers of undocumented
migrant workers. Why is this so and under what conditions are these
people working? Which mechanisms are creating such precarious working
conditions? What do public authorities do? What should public authorities
do? NGOs, legal advisers, researchers and public authorities will
make contributions.
The
General Assembly thanked one of the Founder Members and the outgoing
first president of PICUM, Pieter Muller, for his untiring dedication.
The Assembly welcomed Johan Wets from the Catholic University Leuven
as its new president.
Anita
Wuyts
For
more information on PICUM, see http://www.picum.org/
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Listen,
Ask Questions But Don’t Expect to Sleep: The QCEA Study Tour
The
introductory information said that the course was strenuous, that
you had to be active to do it and that accommodation was in a local
guest house, ten minutes walk from Quaker House. The first two statements
were correct – what wasn’t mentioned was that the ten
minute walk was all uphill, and quite a steep hill at that!
On
Sunday, sessions gave us the context for the Study Tour. Monday
was given to understanding the complex inter-relations of the European
Union (EU) internally and how it related to the Council of Europe
(CoE) and NATO. Tuesday was matters of Peace and Security. We learned
about how the EU gains early warning of potential trouble spots
and about NATO and the new initiative to create an international
nonviolent peaceforce.
Wednesday
was a good example of Quaker co-operation in ensuring all were up
in good time in order to catch the train to Strasbourg at 7.25am.
A visit to the European Parliament followed, which included listening
to the debate in plenary session; a session explaining some of the
workings of the Parliament and a session with Neil MacCormick who
was able to answer questions about being an MEP and the Convention.
We ended the day with a meal at the hotel with some Friends from
Strasbourg Meeting.
On
Thursday was a very interesting visit to the CoE where we learnt
how it is structured and its aims. Then on to the European Court
of Human Rights for a wonderful lunch and a fascinating talk, after
which we headed back to Brussels. In Friday’s sunshine, the
morning sessions were devoted to issues relating to immigration
and asylum seekers, particularly as they related to children and
families. In the afternoon session, a clear presentation of the
European Union’s role in trade and development was given by
two speakers who were both lively and knowledgeable.
Overall,
a very good and enjoyable week, made all the better by the people
who attended. My motivation for attending was twofold – one
to learn more about the EU which is increasingly having a say in
our daily lives, and the second to learn how Quakers seek to influence
decision making within the EU and the Council of Europe. The first
came from the content of the Tour, the second from informal talks
and observation. It was an excellent week and I would have no hesitation
in recommending it to anyone – and if any young people want
to attend the Tour in the summer I would really recommend that they
do so.
Kim
Bailey
Picture
of the Study Tour Participants outside the Council Of Europe
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