Banking on mobility over a generation: follow-up to the regional study on the management of the external borders of the European Union and its impact on the human rights of migrants 2015, para. 68
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Firstly, many people presently crossing the Mediterranean Sea are, thanks to smugglers, manifestly in need of international protection, such as most Syrians and Eritreans. One cannot expect Syrians to live in camps or cities in Jordan, Lebanon or Turkey indefinitely, with no prospects for a better life. If no other option is available, refugees will take their chances with smugglers in order to provide a future for themselves and their children, as many Europeans have done in similar circumstances in the past. Through resettlement programmes for refugees and other humanitarian visas and opportunities, it is well within the European Union's means to develop the mechanisms necessary for providing refuge, over a number of years, for 1 million of refugees displaced by the Syrian and other major conflicts. Together with partner States in the global North and elsewhere, creating a reliable long-term programme will ensure that a large number of refugees will line up for resettlement rather than spend tens of thousands of euros and risk their lives and that of their children in smuggling operations. This would considerably reduce the market for smugglers and the cost of refugee status determination procedures in Europe.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
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Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants