Stronger legal protection of minors and more cooperation with local authorities in Middle East and Africa are at the heart of proposals on asylum and migration

The author of the opinion on reform of the asylum system – Vincenzo Bianco, the mayor of Catania in Sicily – said: "The EU urgently needs a harmonised system, but the CoR is concerned – personally, I am extremely concerned – that some of the proposed rules are too rigid, would limit rights of migrants and would do too little to help either the cities and regions receiving migrants or people arriving on our shores. That is partly because the EU has not yet abandoned the illusion that it is dealing with an individual emergency. We need a system that is clear, simple, and speedy, but it must be fair to all and must not compromise the rights and dignity of migrants."

This is the second report drafted by Mr Bianco on reforms of the EU's asylum rules. His earlier opinion, which the CoR adopted in December 2016, suggested changes to the EU's asylum system to make it fairer and more effective for refugees and for countries across the EU, including for countries that would prefer to pay penalties rather than to accept resettled asylum-seekers.

The opinions are the latest in a series of recommendations drawn up by the CoR over the past five years in order to address the challenges and opportunities raised by migration.

Source - http://cor.europa.eu/pl/news/Pages/Strengthen-legal-support-for-migrants-work-more-with-non-EU-cities.aspx