4 November 2014
The European Parliament’s Development Committee yesterday discussed the situation of Syrian refugees and the humanitarian crisis in the region, as more than nine million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes due to the war and the threat of the Islamic State (IS), with many of them going to neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
The exchange of views followed October's plenary debates on the situation in Kobanê, which is under siege by IS, and the issue of Europeans joining IS.
The meeting was chaired by Linda McAvan, a UK member of the S&D group. Referring to the current situation, Carsten Hansen, of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said: "At the minimum we need to sustain existing EU humanitarian and development support to countries neighbouring Syria."
Gilles Hansoul, of the International Committee of the Red Cross, added: "We appeal to all parties to the conflict to facilitate neutral, independent and impartial humanitarian action."
After the guest speakers described the gravity of the situation, Eleni Theocharous a Cypriote member of the EPP group, pointed out that humanitarian corridors needed to be opened: "Otherwise we will see that the only people left in Syria will be those trying to kill each other." She added that it would be difficult for countries in southern Europe to receive more refugees.
