The EU pact on migration signed on Wednesday will have a destructive impact on the lives of those looking enter Europe

The European Union has agreed destructive reforms to the Pact on Migration and Asylum, putting the lives of those who look to enter European shores at greater peril.

Just when we thought the EU could not sink any lower in its relentless assault on human rights, its latest reforms on the migration pact have ensured that there will be more misery, more suffering and, ultimately, more deaths for migrants.

We are certainly not alone in our fierce condemnation of the agreement, with human rights groups and NGOs also echoing our sentiments. Amnesty International has stated that the reforms will set European asylum law back for many years to come and lead to greater human suffering.

“This agreement will set back European asylum law for decades to come. Its likely outcome is a surge in suffering on every step of a person’s journey to seek asylum in the EU,” said Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

“From the way they are treated by countries outside the EU, their access to asylum and legal support at Europe’s border, to their reception within the EU, this agreement is designed to make it harder for people to access safety.

“The Pact will almost certainly cause more people to be put into de facto detention at EU borders, including families with children and people in vulnerable situations,” she added.

“There will be reduced safeguards for people seeking asylum in the EU, with more people channelled through substandard border asylum procedures, rather than receiving a fair and full assessment of their asylum claims.”

Sea Watch, Sea Eye, Maldusa, Mediterranea Saving Humans, Open Arms, Resq People Saving People, AlarmPhone, Salvamento Maritimo Humanitario and Sos Humanity published a joint statement harshly condemning the reforms.

“The new EU pact on migration legalises abuses at the border and will cause more deaths at sea: the outcome of the negotiations legitimises the status quo at the EU’s external borders, where violence and rejections are daily practices,” read their joint statement.

“The failed Dublin system will be maintained and instead refugees and asylum seekers will continue to be isolated in remote camps.

“More and more people will try to flee by sea, choosing increasingly dangerous routes,” added the NGOs.

DiEM25 will continue to push for the side of justice and humanity, now more than ever, in the hope that the EU and its members will eventually come to their senses and assist rather than condemn those looking for a better life.

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