“Migrations are a normal fact, that’s why they should not be prevented, but better regulated”. That’s the main conclusion of the Commission of the Churches for Migrants in Europe (CCME) at the end of a consultation held at Arnoldshain, in Germany, from 22 to 24 October. In the final document, released on 26 October, the members of the Commission, Anglicans, Orthodox, Protestants and representatives of organizations and agencies close to the Churches, expressed “concern about the immigration policies of the European Union, which is trying to evade its obligation to protect refugees. Frontier controls in Africa and Asia, and the humiliating procedures for the issuing of visas, are still seen as the expression of colonialist attitudes in Europe”. During the meeting, says the communiqué, “the concept of security linked to migration policies was also debated. The security of states has become more important than that of persons. So the idea of security and its effects on policy, in particular in the field of asylum and immigration, needs to be re-examined”. “Since the economy has become the driving force of migration concludes the document the Churches are called to study the aspects linked to the economy, also by entering into contact with social partners and entrepreneurs”.
