Recommendations for the Stockholm Programme
CHRISTIAN AGENCIES IN BRUSSELS RELEASE LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Thursday, 9 July – A network of Christian agencies in Brussels, that includes JRS Europe, has released a list of eighteen recommendations for the 'Stockholm Programme', an initiative that shall determine the direction of EU policies in the area of Freedom, Security and Justice for the next five years (2010-2015).

The preamble to the document states, “as Christian organisations we are deeply committed to the inviolable dignity of the human person created in the image of God, as well as to the concepts of the common good, of global solidarity and of the promotion of a society that welcomes strangers. We also share the conviction that the core values of the European Union as an area of freedom and justice must be reflected by day-to-day politics.”

Among the eighteen recommendations, the agencies ask that all EU policies be based on the recognition of economic, social and cultural benefits of migration for the societies in the receiving countries as well as in the countries of origin, that the governing principle must be that all policies acknowledge the inalienable dignity of every human being, and that detention must be used only in cases of last resort.

The document covers eight areas: respecting human rights of migrants and refugees; legal migration; protection for those in need; integration; and financial resources.

To view the report click here