Europe, stop paying for human rights violations at our borders!

If you flee from conflict, violence or persecution, you have the right to seek safety in the European Union.

Yet, tens of thousands of asylum seekers have been brutally attacked and pushed back at Europe’s borders in the past years. Sometimes by EU countries, like Greece and Italy, and sometimes by EU neighbouring countries, like Tunisia and Libya. And often with funding from the European Union.

This is unacceptable and has to be stopped immediately.

People seeking asylum at our borders must be allowed to do so. With human rights increasingly under pressure worldwide, it is crucial that the EU stands firm for its core values and protects those in need.

No EU money should fund human rights violations.

✍️ Sign our petition.

The Greens/EFA urgently call on the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to stop human rights violations at our borders now and in the future and to make EU funding conditional to protecting human rights.

Study: EU-funding is linked to human rights violations

The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament commissioned a study on how EU funding is linked to human rights violations in neighbouring countries, such as Tunisia and Libya. We found that the European Union allocates funding to train and equip local authorities on the ground, delivering boats, weapons and other equipment, which prevents people from leaving those countries for the European Union.

Through EU migration programs’ funding, the EU directly or indirectly funds human rights violations in Tunisia and Libya. This includes physical violence against migrants and refugees during interceptions:

• Reports of coastguards using iron or wooden batons or tear gas against migrants.
• Despite alerts, there are refusals to aid distressed migrants. Sometimes, fishermen are even barred from performing rescues.
• Coastguards, using their boat's robust engines, collide with migrant boats, often causing them to sink.

Read the study on our website: Beyond Borders, Beyond Boundaries - A Critical Analysis of EU Financial Support for Border Control in Tunisia and Libya