MPs Skevi Koutra Koukouma and Christos Orfanidis represented the Parliament in a conference, which is organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (KSM).
According to an announcement of the Parliament, in her speech at the conference, on "Promoting regional cooperation for intelligent and human migration throughout the Mediterranean", whose work ended this afternoon in Valletta, Malta, Ms. Koukouma referred to plight of refugees and economic migrants who are often subjected to modern-day slavery and deprived of their human rights.
Ms. Koukouma also stressed the obligation of parliaments to create the legal framework that offers the necessary protection to migrants from being exploited by multinational and other companies in the pursuit of profit.
The discussion focused on the possibilities of exploiting legal immigration for the benefit of the economies and societies of the countries of origin and destination, as well as for the benefit of the migrants themselves. Proposals for the adoption of specific policies for the training and smooth integration of migrants were examined, while recognizing the risks of their exploitation.
According to the announcement, the delegates also discussed the strengthening of cross-border control and the role of FRONTEX in the fight against white meat trafficking and illegal immigration, stressing the need for increased cooperation between states.
Taking the floor, Ms. Koukouma said that enhanced border guarding is not a fair policy and does not respond holistically to the challenges of the unprecedented refugee flow. He recalled that the policies of the West and the developed countries created the conditions that lead these people to emigrate.
Therefore, he continued, it is necessary to assume the share of responsibility of these states, simplifying the procedures for applying for political asylum.