July 2023 - aditus foundation

Joint Statement: NGOs call on Member States and European Parliament: Go no Lower: Reject the Use of Legal Loopholes in EU Asylum Law Reforms

The Member States and European Parliament, the EU’s co-legislators, are moving forward with a reform of EU asylum law in the form of the Pact on Migration and Asylum which reduces protection standards and undermines human rights of asylum seekers in Europe. But not only.

Some EU Member States are seeking to revive an additional proposal on “instrumentalisation” launched in 2021, which would allow them to derogate from their obligations in cases of alleged “instrumentalisation of migrants”, thereby undermining harmonisation and the common system. For more detail, see this analysis and statement.

Statement From Civil Society Supporting A Public Inquiry Into The Circumstances Of Jean Paul Sofia’s Untimely Death

Today, 12th July 2023, Parliament will be voting on the motion to initiate a public inquiry into Jean Paul Sofia’s death, after he was killed in a building collapse in Kordin. Civil society organisations will be supporting Jean Paul Sofia’s family from the public gallery in Parliament.

Regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigations and the magisterial inquiry, without a public inquiry that questions the circumstances of Jean Paul’s death, more people will be killed or injured on construction sites. These deaths and injuries can be prevented if the Maltese State learns lessons from Jean Paul’s death. The questions that must be asked include whether Jean Paul Sofia’s death could have been prevented; whether there were and are systemic and administrative failures that are contributing to fatalities and injuries on construction sites; and how action can be taken to prevent such fatalities and injuries.