The Council of Ministers of the European Union must not adopt the outrageous directive!

The return directive, so-called outrageous directive, which was adopted by the European Parliament on June 18, 2008, has been submitted for formal adoption to the EU Council of Ministers on December 8.

At a time when thousands of citizens, NGOs, trade-unions, faith-based organisations, have mobilised themselves to ask European decision-makers to reject this directive, which will trivialise and generalise a policy of imprisonment and deportation of migrants within entire Europe, and whereas a number of States of Latin America and Africa have expressed forcefully their refusal to tolerate such practices against their Nationals, the French Presidency of the European Union has decided to propose this directive for adoption to the EU Council of Ministers on the verge of celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Putting aside the contents of this directive, which constitutes a major setback to the very basic values of Europe, as well as the chosen date, the method used for this adoption is insulting. While this project belongs to the Justice and Interior Affairs Council, the directive is set to be adopted on the 8th or 9th of December during :
  either the Council of Environment ministers, chaired by French Environment Minister M. Borloo. What a strange conception of ecology it is to include deportation of undocumented migrants!
  or the Council of Transport Ministers, chaired by French Transport Minister M. Bussereau. A proof of willingness to develop collective deportation through charter flights?
  or the Council of Ministers of “General Affairs”, chaired by French Foreign Affairs Minister M. Kouchner. The States of EU partners in Latin America and Africa will certainly appreciate.
Our organisations call all their partners, in Europe as well as in Africa or Latin America to urgently express their disagreement to their respective governments as well as to the President of European Union in order to obtain the adjournment and the withdrawal of directive.

Anafé, APDHA, Arci, ATMF, La Cimade , Gisti, IPAM, LDH-Belgique, Migreurop, Statewatch

Press contacts:

La Cimade : Julie Chansel / +33 6 82 24 03 47 / julie.chansel@cimade.org

Gisti : Claudia Charles / +33 1 43 14 84 83 / charles@gisti.org

Migreurop : Sara Prestianni / +33 1 53 27 87 81 / contact@migreurop.org