Save the Children demands Norway’s contribution to better asylum policy in Europe

“We expect Norway to take an active role in putting in place a more humane asylum and migration policy,” Save the Children’s Secretary-General Birgitte Lange said.

“Children’s rights must be central,” she noted after the European Commission presented a proposal for a new migration policy in the EU.

Norway is not a member of the EU, but cooperates with the Union in this area and is covered by the Dublin Regulation, which states that a person must apply for asylum in the first “Dublin country” he or she arrives in.

Save the Children fears that the proposals will make “repeated mistakes,” as is the case in the current system.

Bundegaard: High standards needed

“A solution must be created for migrants who come to the EU who are not entitled to protection, but who also cannot be returned to their home countries.

This group of people risks living in limbo for far too long.

It is also critical that the asylum system in the different Member States has the same high standard of protection. That should have top priority,” Save the Children EU director Anita Bay Bundegaard noted.

She called for a new scheme for the relocation of asylum seekers and refugees from the Greek islands.

Save the Children also wants migrants to have safe travel routes to Europe, so that they do not use dangerous smuggling services across the Mediterranean.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today