Nearly 400,000 migrants, including 94,000 minors, have arrived in Europe by sea in 2016. The peak of the migration crisis has passed but many lessons can be learned. The COMECE Working Group on Migration and Asylum met on 9 March 2017 to discuss this subject.
Sant’Egidio and other Catholic associations try to mitigate the lengthy national reactions by developing humanitarian corridors. However, this system must be complementary to the primary responsibility of Member States in this field.
An expert from the European Commission (DG Home) presented the situation of young migrants in Europe as well as some solutions put in place by the EU, such as the reform of the common European asylum system and the creation of hotspots.
Both presentations gave rise to a critical and constructive dialogue. Participants in the discussion pointed to dysfunctions such as complexity in determining the age of minors.