Migration and Asylum
Violent conflicts have erupted on Europe’s doorsteps in recent years. Refugees find it increasingly difficult to enter Europe and access effective protection. Increasingly high numbers of refugees stranded at European borders underline the need to extend solidarity with those who cannot access European territory.
Through the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe we take initiatives to promote meaningful forms of refugee protection, in particular the resettlement of refugees to Europe. CCME cooperates with European Institutions, Member Churches, organisations and relevant networks to achieve its aims.
Work in this area includes:
- Countering trafficking in human beings as a form of slavery
- Uniting in Diversity: Migration as an opportunity and a challenge for the unity of the Church
- Churches as witness to inclusive communities in Europe
For more information and resources on Migration and Asylum, please visit the CCME website.
Related posts
-
22 Mar, 2016
Advocacy urged to increase refugee resettlement to Europe
The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), Conference of European Churches (CEC) and World Council of Churches (WCC) sent a letter to member churches and partner organizations in Europe urging them to undertake increased advocacy for more refugee resettlement with their national governments and parliaments in the next weeks.
-
17 Mar, 2016
Refugee crisis continues: Church and Christian organisations call for concerted and ambitious action
Ahead of a meeting of the European Council, five European ecumenical organisations have written to EU political leaders urging action on the refugee and migrant crisis. The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Eurodiaconia, EU-CORD, and ACT Alliance EU call on European governments to fulfill their promises and obligations under international law.
-
25 Feb, 2016
Organization founded by Greek Orthodox priest awarded for helping refugees
The Greek island of Lesbos is one of the first landing points in Europe for refugees and migrants fleeing conflicts. Persons from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and churches are the first people to welcome them onshore. One such organization is Agkalia (Embrace), founded by Father Efstratios Dimou, a Greek Orthodox priest. The Council of Europe awarded Agkalia the 2016 Raoul Wallenberg Prize for its work on Lesbos.
-
26 Jan, 2016
A Call to Shared Responsibility and Coordinated Action
Photo: Sean Hawkey/WCC The World Council of Churches and several United Nations agencies held a high-level conference on the refugee crisis in Europe on 18-19 January in Geneva. The conference saw representation from the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe as well as many from CEC Member Churches and Organisations in Partnership On this occasion the World Council of Churches, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued a statement “Europe’s Response to the Refuge Crisis, From Origin to Transit, Reception and Refuge, A Call for Shared Responsibility and Coordinated Action.”
-
18 Jan, 2016
Mapping Migration: New publication from CCME and the World Council of Churches
The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have published a revised and updated edition of their joint study, Mapping Migration: Mapping Churches’ Responses in Europe. The 2016 text explores challenges and changes in the European church landscape in light of international migration.
-
18 Dec, 2015
International Migrants’ Day: 25 Years of the International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and All Members of Their Families
On the occasion of International Migrants’ Day on 18 December, the Churches’Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), the Conference of European Churches (CEC), and the World Council of Churches (WCC) appeal to states to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
-
2 Dec, 2015
Churches on the Frontline of Integration
Today the European Commission convened a Dialogue Seminar focussed on looking beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis provoked by the recent influx of migrants and refugees on European soil. COMECE, CEC, and CCME gathered experts and Church leaders from across Europe to discuss models of integration, best practices, and the fundamental values that guide integration within the European Union.
-
2 Oct, 2015
Unified political response needed to current migrant crisis
The following is a joint statement of Rt Rev. Christopher Hill KCVO, DD, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), and Cardinal Reinhard Marx, President of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE).
-
18 Sep, 2015
Presidents of CEC, COMECE meet in Munich
The presidents of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) met in Munich on 18 September to discuss issues of deep concern to the churches of Europe as ongoing crises continue to dominate the news and preoccupy politicians and citizens.
-
11 Sep, 2015
Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Ecumenical organisations appeal to ministers of EU Justice and Home Affairs Council
Five of Europe’s ecumenical organisations have called on the ministers of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council for a unified, ambitious and rights-based refugee and migration policy. The Conference of European Churches joins with the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), Eurodiaconia, ACT Alliance EU, and EU-CORD in this appeal.