The Parliamentary Representative of the Democratic Rally and Head of the Cyprus Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mr. Nicos Tornaritis, participated yesterday in a debate on the compatibility of the new European Union (EU) Pact on Immigration and Asylum with the European framework for the protection of human rights.
In his intervention, Mr. Tornaritis advocated the formulation of a common immigration and asylum policy, which addresses existing operational weaknesses and gaps on the one hand and, on the other hand, fully integrates the protection of the human rights of refugees and migrants. Our first concern, he stressed, must be to protect the EU's external borders so that it is able to provide the necessary humanitarian aid, assistance and support in the long term to vulnerable people in real need, while focusing on the root causes of migration, strengthening cooperation with third countries and combating trafficking in human beings.
It is clear that migration is a common challenge for all EU countries and as such must be tackled collectively by all European partners, taking into account the disproportionate burden borne by the frontline countries. The case of Cyprus, which faces the highest number of applications for international protection in relation to its population, coupled with the fact that these people arrive in the free areas from the occupied territories, makes it imperative that effective measures are taken.
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