Members of the European Parliament support the launch of the petition campaign for migrants rights in the European Union

Today at the European Parliament on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary year of the UN Migrant Workers Convention, December18, the International Resource Centre on the Human Rights of Migrants, together with the European Platform for Migrant Workers Rights, launched the campaign: “Europe it’s Time to Ratify the Migrant Workers Convention.” Demanding the European Union to live up to its core values, all 27 Member States of the EU are called upon to ratify this core international human rights instrument.

The campaign was launched on June 18, six months before the official anniversary of the Convention on the 18^th of December, which is also known as International Migrants Day. Over the coming six months the campaign aims to gather as many signatories as possible, both from within the European Union and from across the world.

MEPs Sonia Alfano, of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Judith Sargentini, of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance and Marie Christine Vergiat, of the Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left presented the initiative of December18 and committed themselves to spread the information about the petition campaign.

The speakers noted that it is striking that not a single EU member state has signed or ratified this core UN human rights treaty.

Sonia Alfano said that the ratification of the UN Migrant Workers Convention must be at the centre of the political debate in the European Union. Judith Sargentini in her turn strongly argued for having a clear and honest debate about migration in the European Union, a debate that should be based on the recognition of Europe’s needs as well as respect for the rights of migrants. Finally, Marie-Christine Vergiat appealed for the member states to ratify the Convention because this would lead to a fuller protection of migrants’ rights in the EU.

In his closing remarks Pablo Sanchez from December18 insisted that the time has come for the EU member states to take concrete steps towards the ratification of the Migrant Workers Convention, especially in light of the new prerogatives of the Lisbon Treaty.