EU leaders must live up to their commitments to European values in responding to migration and stop copying xenophobic populist recipes, more than 160 NGOs said today in a joint statement. The organizations are calling for strong leadership to uphold the rights and values that have been the founding principles of the European Union for 60 years.

To the Members of the European Parliament,

The Afghanistan donor conference that took place on October 4 and 5 2016 brought together representatives from 75 countries and 26 international organizations. €13.6 billion was pledged – amongst other priorities – to “end violence and a political process towards lasting peace and reconciliation.”

Summary and calls for action

In the first months of 2015, PRO ASYL has heard shocking accounts from asylum seekers reaching Germany via Bulgaria. These accounts include reports of inhumane and degrading treatment as well as torture. PRO ASYL has written up some of these accounts, mainly from asylum seekers and refugees who arrived in 2014, to serve as an example of the treatment experienced by many who travel through Bulgaria. The majority of the accounts provided are those of Syrian or Iraqi nationals.