Intervening at the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Council of Europe, JRS Europe’s Advocacy and Policy Coordinator, Mariza Koronioti, underlined the importance of a human centred approach to migration reception where human dignity is protected. These comments were done in the framework of the discussion of the upcoming report “The challenges and needs of public and private actors involved in migration management”.

JRS also emphasized that current system of large-scale reception facilities is not working as it fails not only to respect the rights of people on the move in need but also to provide sustainable solutions for the local communities of the host countries. These comments are are drawn from the network’s collective experience on reception around Europe alongside national authorities and other civil society organizations.

Providing material support including accommodation to all asylum seekers irrespective of criteria like gender or family status, is an obligation for all EU Member States under EU Law. At the same time, according to the Court of Justice of the EU, if the right to accommodation is not fulfilled, the inviolable principle of human dignity of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU is violated.

Amid a political landscape hostile to the rights and dignity of displaced people and in light of the obligation for Member States to create robust national implementation plans of the EU Pact, JRS Europe recommends to authorities to take a human-centred reception system by:

• Making the respect of human dignity a core element of the management of migration-related issues
• Going beyond providing accommodation, with accompaniment being an intrinsic part of reception systems
• Providing reception conditions tailormade to the needs of asylum seekers
• Locating reception facilities within the local community to foster inclusion

You can find the argument behind each of these points in our recent position paper: Hospitality-driven reception