Eduardo González The Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance (CEAR) warned yesterday that the asylum recognition rate in Spain is "at the bottom of the European Union", precisely "in a year in which protection needs continue to increase throughout the world". According to the CEAR Annual Report on refuge in Spain and Europe, the asylum recognition rate has worsened in Spain four points compared to the previous year, with twelve percent of favorable resolutions, compared to 42 percent of the European average, which exceeds the previous percentage by three points. This setback, according to CEAR, "contrasts with the current international context, in which wars, violence and threats have caused a new record of 120 million forcibly displaced people in the world, according to the latest data from UNHCR." “Conquered conflicts such as those in Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan or Sudan, among others, are joined by two new major humanitarian emergencies, such as the genocide in Gaza or the growing sociopolitical instability in Senegal and the Sahel countries, which is causing an increase considerable increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands,” it added. Regarding the situation in Gaza, CEAR recalled that, to date, more than 1.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes, most of whom were previously refugees. “All the red lines of international law are being crossed,” declared Mauricio Valiente, director of the organization. “The Spanish Government is taking some steps in the right direction, but it must continue to do more to put an end to this genocide and ensure that there is a just and lasting peace, and that the right of return is guaranteed, as we ask for in our campaign. . which to date more than 100,000 people have signed,” he added. Response to the emergency in the Canary Islands According to the report, 70% of arrivals to Spain were concentrated on the route to the Canary Islands (a total of 39,910 people). This drastic surge in migration, the organization said, “triggered a humanitarian emergency situation unprecedented since the so-called 'cayuco crisis' of 2006.” In the first five months of this year, the pace of arrivals has been maintained, especially of people coming from Senegal. Furthermore, the presence of more and more women and boys and girls without family references stands out, for which the protection system of the islands is not prepared, according to the CEAR report. In response, the Government of the Canary Islands has recently reached an agreement with the central government to process the modification of the Immigration Law and articulate a system for distributing the reception of minors. The organization highlights that the state response to the humanitarian situation was rapid and extraordinary measures were activated, such as the declaration of emergency and the opening of new shelter places on the peninsula, with the implementation of large Emergency Shelter Centers (CAED). This response prevented a repetition of overcrowding situations such as those that occurred in 2021 at the Arguineguín dock. “Although at first they served to decongest the situation, Spain must have a stable reception structure, both on the islands and on the Peninsula, that responds to the increasingly frequent situations of large arrivals,” warned Mónica López, general director of CEAR. Furthermore, she denounced that, in terms of reception, the response was not comparable to that given to the emergency in Ukraine: “The difficulties in obtaining appointments to begin the protection procedure, together with the limitations on the length of stay in places of humanitarian care, they leave some people in a situation of lack of protection and at risk of social exclusion,” she stated. A devastating pact for the right to asylum In its report, CEAR also analyzes the “devastating consequences” that the recent European Pact on Migration and Asylum will have on the right to asylum, on all human rights and on people's lives. This agreement, he warns, "strengthens border control and focuses on preventing people from arriving, expelling them as quickly as possible and without sufficiently focusing on legal and safe routes." However, CEAR calls on citizens and civil society organizations to demand that the Spanish Government implement the Pact in a guarantee manner, with the aim of minimizing risks and guaranteeing the highest standards of protection. “The result of the European elections is worrying because it reinforces the parties that seriously threaten the right to asylum. We hope that Spain promotes a change of course to place people and their rights at the center,” declared Mauricio Valiente.
