The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today called for a "profound reform" of the way Europe deals with refugees, including of the European asylum system.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today called for a "profound reform" of the way Europe deals with refugees, including of the European asylum system.

The appeal is made in a document that the UNHCR presented to the European Union today, entitled ‘Improving Refugee Protection in the EU and Globally’, in which it proposes that “more strategic and targeted support be given to the countries of origin, asylum and transit” of refugees.

It is also suggested that contingency plans be revised to deal with large flows of refugees and migrants and that “a more efficient and better managed asylum system” be created.

“Last year, Europe failed to provide a collective and organized response to the challenges posed by the arrival of more than a million refugees and migrants,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, in a statement.

Grandi points out that the result was “scenes of chaos at the borders” and “a drop in public confidence in the ability of governments to manage the situation”, which played into the hands of “those who wanted to turn the refugees into scapegoats”.

“It's important that EU member states show, through collective action, that Europe is capable” of making a difference, argues the UN official.

The UNHCR contributes by presenting in its document “a practical vision of how” better protection of refugees can be achieved.

Among the proposals put forward by the UN agency are “specific measures to address the reasons why refugees flee” and “a simplified asylum system that would identify, register and process arrivals quickly and efficiently”, the statement said.

This would also “restore public confidence”, according to the UNHCR.

It also proposes “prioritizing family reunification”, “a distribution mechanism for member states under pressure due to the high number of arrivals” and “an efficient system for returning people” when this is the case.

“This is the moment for a new vision of Europe's involvement with the global refugee crisis,” Grandi argues, adding that “history has shown that Europe is stronger when it tackles its challenges together.”.

“I firmly believe that this is still possible today,” says the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Source: Notícias ao Minuto 05/12/2016