75,536 of 100,000 signatures

To the European Commission

Petition

You are the guardian of EU law, and as such should uphold and protect the fundamental rights of anybody across Europe. Assess our complaint filed on September 22, 2020 and trigger an infringement procedure against Greece for its systematic breach of EU law in its treatment of people seeking asylum in Europe.

Why is this important?

A week after Europe’s largest refugee camp in Moria went ablaze, fire has left a pile of charred tents, around 4,000 homeless children and 8,000 adults [1].

The situation in Moria is a symbol of the EU's migration failure: for years now the EU is locking people up in camps in Greece without toilets, medical care or even food.

Yet Commission President Von der Leyen has said “The images of the Moria camp are a painful reminder of the need for Europe to come together.” [2] On September 23, the Commission even published their plans for a new migration policy. [3] But until we see real action, these are all just words.

So we’ve filed an official complaint, funded by thousands of WeMove members, asking the Commission to end the abuse against refugees and migrants, and change any policy enabling it. [4]

The Commission often tries to kick the can down the road with these kinds of legal complaints because citizens are not normally involved and they don’t feel the pressure to act. This is why your voice will make all the difference and force the Commission to take it seriously.

The complaint shows how Greece has reduced safeguards for asylum seekers against deportation and offers little chance of a fair asylum procedure, rather than offering people in search of safety the protection they are entitled to.

But this is more than just the story of Greece. These are Europe’s refugee camps. We know the Commission is aware of what is happening and we want them to intervene. In March, EU leaders visited the Greece-Turkey border and backed Greece in their response. So, this is about how Europe manages migration. And right now that is by backing policies that have only led to incredible suffering.

Europe’s asylum system must respect basic rights, and offer a fair opportunity to seek asylum, to those who are fleeing conflict and persecution, while making sure every person is safe from harm.

As a community, let’s make enough noise to get EU leaders to take legal action to stop the mistreatment of refugees and migrants. Sign now!


References:

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/world/europe/camp-fire-greece-migrants.html
  2. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_20_1655
  3. https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life/new-pact-migration-and-asylum_en
  4. https://oi-files-d8-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2020-09/wemove-oxfam-complaint-to-ec-asylum-greece-eu.pdf;
    https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-making-process/applying-eu-law/infringement-procedure_en;
    https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/fluechtlinge-hilfsorganisationen-fordern-strafverfahren-gegen-griechenland-a-e817b050-8b2e-4425-8f18-3560acde835a;
    https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/traitement-des-migrants-par-la-grece-plainte-aupres-de-la-commission-oxfam-20200922;
    https://euobserver.com/migration/149509

Next step - spread the word

You're signing this as Not you? Click here

Please can you chip in?

Top left corner text:Protection for all, top right corner: WeMove logo, bottom centre: two people embracing, bottom left: two people hold hands walking, bottom right: medical personel in red jacket.


We’ve been fighting for years to stand up for people on the move. With this major win under our belt, we cannot afford to stop pushing for compassion and action in Europe.

For the price of a cup of coffee, will you complete your secure donation below and power real change for people on the move in 2023?

Other ways of giving

You can transfer your donation to our bank account

Please include your email address as payment reference

WeMove Europe SCE mbH
IBAN: DE98 4306 0967 1177 7069 00
BIC: GENODEM1GLS, GLS Bank
Berlin, Germany

We want to be transparent and accountable about how we spend your donations - for more information please see our Donation Policy.

Your personal information will be kept private and held securely. By submitting information you are agreeing to WeMove Europe keeping you informed about campaigns and agree to the use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy.