18-12-2010
Official data contests statements of some politicians about great growth in number of returned illegal migrants to Ukraine after Agreement on Readmission with European Union coming into force. It was reported at press-conference by Maksym Butkevych, adviser of UNHCR office.
M. Butkevych reminds that almost a year has passed since the moment when Agreement between Ukraine and European Union on Readmission came into force. According to his words, during this period some politicians, who mainly profess far rightist ideology, stated that now a great number – hundreds of illegal migrants would be returned to Ukraine from European countries. However, now when these fears did not realize no one remembers about these statements and nobody is shamed for them.
The adviser of UNHCR office mentioned that Ukraine signing up Agreement with EU had already had similar agreements with other countries – western neighbors. He added that according to official data the number of returned illegal migrants to Ukraine in 2010 in conformity to Agreement with EU does not excel the number which was fixed in previous years according to bilateral agreements. Besides, according to the words of M. Butkevych, since January till the end of October 2010, as to official data, 404 illegal migrants – citizens of Ukraine, 215 – citizens of CIS countries and 127 citizens of other states were returned from EU countries to Ukraine.
At the same time M. Butkevych stressed that there were series of problems connected with realization of clauses of Agreement on Readmission. He mentioned illegal return of persons to Ukraine who asked for refugee status in EU countries. He presented data according to which since January till October of the current year UNHCR received applications from 53 persons who were addressing to authorities in Hungary and Slovakia with request to grant them this status, but till the end of requests considering they were illegally returned to Ukraine.
On December 16, International Human Rights Organization “Human Rights Watch” presented report “Buffeted in the Borderland: The Treatment of Asylum Seekers and Migrants in Ukraine” where it was said that European Union ignores breaks of the rights of citizens from third countries returned from its territory and about absence of protection of refugees and children in Ukraine.
Since January 1, 2010 a second part of Agreement between Ukraine and European Community about readmission of persons came into force. In accordance with this agreement, Ukraine accepts persons arriving to EU countries from the territory of our state and broke the rules on enter and stay in these countries.