A package of measures to improve the way the EU asylum system works and strengthen asylum seekers' rights was approved by the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee. MEPs adopted amendments to enhance solidarity between member states when managing asylum applications. The first piece of legislation is intended to beef up the right of asylum seekers to adequate reception conditions: it lays down standards that must be guaranteed in terms of housing, food, clothing, health care, financial benefits, and freedom of movement and access to work. The text also includes provisions on the protection of vulnerable people, such as minors, unaccompanied minors, pregnant women and victims of torture and violence. According to the draft legislation, the use of detention should be decided on a case-by-case basis, and asylum seekers should not be held in prisons but in specialized detention facilities. Legal guarantees against arbitrary detention must be introduced. The detention of unaccompanied minors must be banned.
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