EU MUST PRIORITIZE MIGRANTS' FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND END CRIMINALIZATION OF SOLIDARITY

As the 9^th European Migration Forum convenes in Brussels, focusing this year on “enhancing the role of civil society in the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum”, Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) denounces the stark contrast between the façade of civil society inclusion and the reality of the process led by the European Commission and EU Member States.

Adopted earlier this year, the European Pact on Migration and Asylum—a compendium of 10 legislative texts—will begin to be implemented in 2025, it’s entry into force set for June 2026, for all Members States. Before the end of December, EU Member States are expected to release their respective action plans. Despite promises of inclusivity, many Member States continue to sideline the voices of civil society organisations and, most critically, the migrants themselves, whose lives and rights will be directly affected by this Pact. Numerous European NGOs, including Médecins du Monde, have repeatedly warned about the grave risks posed by these legislative measures to the lives, health, and rights of migrants and asylum-seekers, whether en route to Europe or already living here. These warnings have been largely ignored.

Instead, civil society organisations are now being asked to play a role in implementing a Pact that contradicts the fundamental rights of migrants. Meanwhile, the very actions of solidarity performed by civil society—such as rescuing lives at sea, assisting people in border crossings, providing food, shelter, and legal support, and accompanying asylum-seekers and refugees in their procedures—are increasingly obstructed by the same States that are bound to protect and promote human rights.

Médecins du Monde has repeatedly raised alarms about the criminalization of solidarity with migrants, a deeply concerning trend that this Pact fails to address and is likely to reinforce. This regression on rights perpetuates a dangerous cycle of exclusion and repression rather than fostering the protection and dignity of those seeking refuge or a better life.

We firmly oppose many of the Pact’s core measures, particularly the Screening Regulation, Asylum Procedures Regulation, Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, and Crisis Regulation. These legislative instruments narrowly frame migration as a security issue, violate human rights, and will lead to more detention—including of minors and other vulnerable populations—while risking deteriorating their health, and erecting even greater barriers to healthcare, legal aid, and other essential services.

The Pact places disproportionate emphasis on border management, neglecting the root causes of migration and the urgent need for safe and legal pathways, effective integration measures, and the safeguarding of migrants’ lives and health. By prioritizing deterrence and control, the EU risks perpetuating a humanitarian and human rights crisis both on and outside its borders.

It IS TIME for the EU and ITS Member States to stop CRIMINALIZING SOLIDARITY and start DELIVERING on THEIR COMMITMENT to human RIGHTS. MIGRANTS deserve not only PROTECTION but also the DIGNITY and INCLUSION that come WITH EQUITABLE access to healthcare, safety, and JUSTICE.