Challenges in today’s Europe

• Current situation

  Existing migration rules in Europe are designed for tourists, professionals, students. There are also procedures for people to join close family members already in Europe. None of these rules are adapted to the situation of people fleeing armed conflict or persecution. As a result, these people cannot simply board a plane and travel to Europe. Instead, they are forced to risk their lives in long and dangerous journeys.

• What we know

  • There is hardly any legal way for people in need of protection to get to Europe.
  • Thousands of people lose their lives in the attempt to reach Europe.
  • Reception conditions are often inhumane and inconsistent across Europe.
  • Access to fair asylum procedures is not ensured everywhere in Europe.

A group of refugees and migrants on a raft approach the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos (Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi).

What we advocate for

Safe and legal pathways for people seeking protection

• We advocate for

  JRS advocates for safe and legal pathways so that people who need protection in Europe do not need to embark on life-threatening journeys.

• This is achieved by

  • Expanding resettlement programmes
  • Facilitating family reunification
  • Humanitarian visas
  • Facilitating access to other legal pathways

Common European Asylum System

• We advocate for

  JRS advocates for common European rules on asylum procedures and reception condition that meet the necessary standards in order to respect asylum seekers’ human rights and dignity.

• This is achieved by

  • Ensuring swift and formal registration in the asylum procedure everywhere in Europe.
  • Reforming the current rules to determine the state responsible for an asylum application to take in cosideration the preferences and needs of asylum seekers and ensure a fairer distribution of responsibility among European states.
  • Promoting small-scale reception facilities as the preferred reception model for asylum seekers as opposed to large camps or reception centres. Such facilities are more conducive to encounter and inclusion within the local communities.

Our work

• Resources

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    10 Stories of Home away from Home

    Through 10 stories, this booklet showcases how Ukrainians fleeing the violence and suffering caused by the war have found refuge and a sense of home in countries all across the continent. The stories highlighted in this booklet stem out of the ONE PROPOSAL project, which is the coordinated response from the Society of Jesus to the crisis in Ukraine led by JRS Europe and the Xavier Network.

    Search more resources

• Programmes

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    The One Proposal

    The International Armed Conflict between Russia and Ukraine has displaced millions of people, constituting the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has been on the frontlines of humanitarian response, working with those who have been forced to flee their homes. After an in-depth needs assessment, JRS Europe is coordinating the unified response from the Society of Jesus to the crisis: The One Proposal.

• Campaigns

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    Why your vote matter to expand safe and legal access to protection?

    There are currently hardly any legal ways for refugees to reach the EU. We want the European Parliament to be vocal on the need to expand safe and legal ways of reaching protection in Europe and to invest in robust reception systems. We also want the European Parliament to closely follow the implementation of border procedures and denounce violations of EU laws and values.