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CHURCHES COMMISSION FOR MIGRANTS IN EUROPE

CCME is in the context of the COMET project inviting you to a
WEBINAR: COMPLEMENTARY PATHWAYS IN A CHANGING POLITICAL CONTEXT
28th May 2024 15.00-16.30 (Brussels time)
More info here

CCME and partners express concern over attempts to externalise refugee protection in joint statement
9 July 2024

READ IT HERE for English

For Français

For Deutsch

CCME and CEC call to commemorate refugees who lost their lives
at European borders on 23rd June 2024 (Sunday after World Refugee Day)
READ IT HERE

CLICK HERE

CCME and 80 other Civil Society Organisations call on MEPs to vote down harmful EU Migration Pact.
Please read it here

CCME General Assembly Concludes with Key Decisions on Leadership and Budget

By Joy Eva Bohol

THE General Assembly of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) on 18 June 2024 concluded its recent session with significant decisions on leadership appointments, financial approvals, its work program, and membership recommendations. The hybrid assembly was held at the CCME office in Brussels and online. Click to read.

Photo: The roll call confirmed the presence of 29 (initially 28) voting members, both onsite and online, out of a total of 39 members, thereby establishing a clear quorum for the assembly.

CCME Webinar on EP Elections Reaffirms Commitment to ‘Protection of People More Than Borders’

By Joy Eva Bohol

PARTICIPANTS from across Europe, including members of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and its partners, joined a webinar on asylum and migration on May 21, in the context of the upcoming European Parliament (EP) elections. Click to read.

Photo: Two MEPs standing for re-election, Lena Düpont of the German CDU/European People’s Party and Tineke Strik of the Dutch GroenLinks/Greens, shared their perspectives on the Migration and Asylum Pact and its future implementation. Both have played central roles as members of the LIBE Committee, working on European asylum and migration legislation.

CCME’s Advocacy Training, ‘vital’ in the growing importance of EU law on asylum and migration policy

by Joy Eva Bohol

WITH the growing importance and worrying trends in European Law on asylum and migration, the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe’s (CCME) Advocacy Training in Athens, Greece on 12-15 February 2024 “is vital, more than ever, to train and empower its constituency to better understand European Union (EU) legislation,” said CCME General Secretary Dr. Torsten Moritz. Click to read here.

Photo: Participants of the CCME Advocacy Training interact, during spaces of sharing and discussion. Photo by Alice Jahier 

CCME executive committee convenes to discuss mandates from the 2023 general assembly
By Joy Eva Bohol

THE newly elected members of the Executive Committee of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) convened on 15-16 January 2024 in Brussels to start to implement its mandate from the General Assembly in November 2023, and to propose priorities and strategies for the term 2024-2027. Click to read here.

Photo: Newly elected members of the Executive Committee of CCME and staff with European Peoples Party EPP representative Vit Novotny (middle front row) at the headquarters in Brussels, Belgium for its first in-person meeting on 15-16 January.

CCME to GRF 2023: welcoming the stranger and upholding refugee rights are in our ‘Christian DNA’
By Joy Eva Bohol

AS PART of this year’s Global Refugee Forum (GRF) held in Geneva, Switzerland on 13-15 December, the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) had engaged in the side events, affirming the churches’ continued commitment to uphold refugee and asylum protection, and to offer as safe sanctuaries to refugees, forcibly displaced people, and people on the move. Click to read here.

Photo: (From R to L) CCME Moderator Ms. Fiona Kendall, CCME General Secretary Torsten Moritz, CCME seconded staff and UMCOR Regional Migration Specialist for Europe Ms. Joy Eva Bohol

CCME appeals to negotiators on EU asylum and migration pact: “avoid a pact which results in an ill-functioning, costly, and cruel system. Click to read here

PLEASE FIND OUR PRESS RELEASE FROM OUR LAST GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN ROME, NOVEMBER 2023 here

CCME and other Christian organisations support migrants rights in EU labour migration proposals:
– Christian organisations
– NGO coalition

Click here to read it

YOU CAN READ IT HERE?

READ IT HERE

CCME EXPRESSES CONCERN ON EU-TUNISIA AGREEMENT, CONTRADICTS EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT: ”SAFE PASSAGE INSTEAD OF SHADY MIGRATION DEALS “
READ IT HERE

CCME INVITES YOU TO THE WEBINAR
SECONDARY MOVEMENT: HIDDEN CHALLENGES, 26th October 2023, 10.30-12.00 (Brussels time)
CCME COMET-Webinar-secondary-movements-agenda

Despite increased discussions and activities on complementary pathways into protection into the EU in recent years, one issue has emerged but rarely been discussed: the secondary movement of beneficiaries of complementary pathways.
While the secondary movement of asylum seekers is well-known, the secondary movement of beneficiaries of complementary pathways raises a number of important questions regarding
• target groups and their aspirations;
• programme set-up;
• reception and integration;
• remedial action.
As complementary pathways expand and multiply, the interactive webinar “Secondary movement: hidden challenges” for practitioners, experts and those wanting to become either in the area of complementary pathways will consider this important issue.

The webinar is organised by CCME as part of the COMET project – https://www.cometnetwork.eu

Please register here

TPD Extension joint NGO statement

“CCME with other organisations welcomes the extension of the temporary protection directive until 2025 by the EU, calling for the same spirit of humanity in EU asylum policy negotiations.”  Read it here.

CCME Nordic/Baltic meeting challenges the church to be more prophetic amid worrying migration trends in the region

by Joy Eva Bohol/CCME

Tightening and narrowing on migration policies, cutting down resettlement quotas for refugees and asylum seekers applicants, increasing hate speech and crimes, and a rising number of right-wing governments are some of the many complex issues that country representatives reported, during the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) Nordic/Baltic meeting on 7-8 September 2023 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Read the full article here.

Joint Statement on Resettlement and humanitarian admissions

Ahead of EU Member States submitting their pledges for the EU resettlement scheme, CCME and 37 other civil society organisations call on leaders to ambitiously expand safe pathways to international protection and better reflect Europe’s capacity to welcome.  Read it here

The EUAA “Practical Guide on Interviewing Applicants with Religion-based Asylum Claims” – content, opportunities and challenges from churches´ perspectives on 8th June 2023, 11.00-12.30 (Brussels time) on zoom.
Please SEE THE AGENDA AND REGISTER here

Call for World Refugee Day 2023

CCME and CEC for World Refugee Day 2023 Call to commemorate refugees who lost thier lives at European borders.
Please find all the information here

After 5 days of intense and very interesting Africa Europe Ecumenical Forum on Migration, in Hamburg, we have come up with a communique . Please find it here.

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CCME with partners asks EU member states to abandon plans to condition trade
preferences for countries
in the global south on their migration and readmission cooperation with the EU.
Read the joint letter here

Joint NGO statement TPD 1-year mark

“One year after activating the Temporary Protection Directive:
CCME and partners call for continued and sustainable support to Ukrainians as well as other groups needing international protection “
Read it here

Call for renewed European leadership on refugee resettlement

Joint statement by CCME and 6 other European networks and humanitarian organisations working closely on resettlement. The other signatories are Amnesty International, Caritas Europa, ECRE, ICMC Europe / SHARE Network, IRC and the Red Cross EU Office.
READ it here.

CG - Ukraine statement

“Christian group” Statement on the arrival of refugees from Ukraine and the application of the Temporary Protection Directive

READ IT HERE

EASTER APPEAL

30 leaders of Christian churches and organisations across Europe prior to Easter declare
“As you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me. – Matthew 25:40 – ALL refugees welcome”
You can read the full declaration here

INTERVIEW of CCME Gen Sec Dr Torsten Moritz with WCC

Read the interview on the upcoming European Church leaders´ statement “. “ As you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40) . ALL refugees welcome ”

You can read the interview HERE.

CCME solidarity visit to Hungary, in March 2022.

CCME and partners Event focuses on Christian conversion in asylum procedure in Europe

The topic “conversion in the asylum procedure, new developments and old challenges” was brought into focus in an online event from 18 to 20 January 2022. The participants reflected together on how the conversion to Christianity by asylum seekers in Europe has raised pastoral, theological-missiological, legal as well as ethical questions and dilemmas for the churches.

The event was organised by the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC), together with the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) … read more

You can also read here the Executive Summary

 Message of the 2021 CCME (extraordinary) General Assembly
Together we can save a million vulnerable humans in Europe again!
We met as the extraordinary General Assembly of the Churches´ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) from 14th to 16th October 2021 in Brussels representing 41 Churches, Councils of Churches and related organisations from across Europe.
We are worried. The global public has in recent months been following with shock, despair and anger how desperate…Read more.
 Mapping Migration, Mapping Churches’ Responses in Europe
Through migration, minority churches in some countries are growing. The current study Mapping Migration, Mapping Churches’ Responses in Europe, Being Church Together attempts to provide information on actual immigration and emigration figures for twenty‐two European countries, and seeks to identify the diversity of Christian presence.
 Justice for Roma and Sinti : a challenge for churches
About 35 people gathered in Budapest, Hungary, from 9-11 March 2020 to reflect on the issue of Roma and Sinti discrimination with a particular focus on the role of churches. The event had valuable contributions from Roma/Sinti participants within the churches and acknowledged the richness of sharing together. The conference encouraged churches to consider how to more positively promote the visibility and inclusion of Roma/Sinti. Please read the full report
 “Christian group” comments on the proposed EU Asylum and Migration Pact
CCME in a coalition of 8 Christian organisations has published 5 comment papers on the proposals for the EU Asylum and Migration Pact.
Please find underneath the reactions on:
The pact in general
Proposals on pre entry screening and border procedures
Return and readmission
Search and rescue & criminalisation of solidarity
Solidarity
Data Protection and Privacy Policy
Effective 25 May 2018
Your  Data
The Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe  gathers data
about individuals that is publicly available, freely provided by that
individual, or obtains direct consent for its collection.
Read more ….

CCME STAFF

Torsten Moritz
General Secretary
Dr. Torsten Moritz:
General Secretary
Christine Rugurika
Administrator
Christine Rugurika:
Administrator
Joy Eva Bohol
Joy Eva Bohol:
Seconded Staff
kirk.sims
Kirk Sims:
Seconded Staff
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